All Stories

"Not so long ago, half my face was paralysed. My husband is still paying the loan that he took out for my treatment. He took me to a hospital in India. You see that was the first time in my life I...

"I stopped crying a long time ago. There were days when crying was the only way of finding some relief. The heart would feel unburdened. But crying never changed a thing. And when you are hungry, you...

"My son was in the 5th grade when my husband became mad. It happened without notice. People in the villages would come to visit. Some would whisper and some would shout. They would talk about the...

"I have been running this eatery for many years now. Before that, I was in India working for anyone who would give me daily wages. I was very careful with my savings. I never ate more than I needed....

"Living with HIV has made me a strong person. Though my legs hurt and my back is arching, I still have the will to struggle and sweat. Sometimes, I wish I felt better. I know the minute I do, I will...

"My pocket is empty, but I can still enjoy the view while my cattle enjoy the green grass. The hills never asked for money."

"My husband ended his own life. They found him hanging from the ceiling of the room he was staying at the time. He worked as a carpenter sawing furniture wood. I do not know what he was thinking. I...

"What do I say to you? What if I make an error in saying something that you might not like. You are new here and how would a poor simpleton like me understand what you are asking. There are people up...

"Today, my biggest fear is the fear of dying. I think I love my life too much. My life is not a life of riches but a life of 'just enough to get by'. I have carried weight for many years in the...

"She must have been 5 months old. I had hidden a few hundred rupees that my brother had left for me, out of pity, seeing the way I was living in my husbands home with my infant daughter. I had tied...

"He was only one when his father left home, never to return. After a few years of waiting, I got news that he had settled in another city and started a family with another woman. It was difficult...

"When I was around 10, mother passed away. Of what I recall, she was very dependent on my father - socially, financially and emotionally. As I watched her struggle day in and day out, from very early...

"I have always loved singing and dancing. Growing up, my love for it has been met with a lot of negativity. Activities like singing and dancing are stereotyped as something that only a girl would...

"I see life as a story. My mother's story was a tragic one. They say she committed suicide. I am not sure why as I was just a toddler and do not remember the incident. But I know that she did not...

"When I was 8, my father passed away. Mother wanted me to become independent as being a single mother was not easy for her. 'Now that you are 8, I need you to be independent. I need you to grow...

"Father built this house decades ago. He must have understood the unpredictability of rain, air, earth, and water. He must have thought to himself of building a strong house. With all his children...