Ailing family battles hardships with Rs 5,000

CHANDIGARH: A 10X12 room in Palsora village is Mohini's home. She lives with her parents and two siblings. Mohini is blind in her left eye. The Class X student wants to become a teacher but feels her poor financial background and physical condition maybe a hurdle. And, she is not the only one in the family braving odds.
Her sister Sanya, 13, is hunchbacked and has extremely weak eyesight.She studies in Class VIII. Her health problems too are coming in the way of her studies. Mohini's brother Vikram, 11, studies in Class V and is good in academics. Her mother says Vikram regularly devotes time to studies. He follows a time table at home as well. However, he also has extremely weak eyesight.
Mohini's father Mohan Singh suffers from chronic kidney disease and has to get dialysis twice a week, which costs around Rs 1,600. "I take medicines on alternative days as I don't have enough money to spend on my treatment. For me, my children and their studies are my priority," says Mohan, who had admitted Sanya in two schools before his medical condition was diagnosed two years ago. But destiny has its own way and now despite her health problems, Sanya struggles to pursue her studies.
"Earlier, I used to drive an auto and would never get time to sit idle. I would earn Rs 16,000 a month and that was sufficient for our family but now we have to survive on my wife Sita's salary of Rs 5,000," says Mohan adding the rent of their room is Rs 4,500 and now his medical condition does not allow him to work.
Mohini is good at studies and a disciplined child, says her teacher at Government High School, Sector 54, Chandigarh. Moreover, Mohini likes dancing and takes part in every dance competition in her school.
"I want to study and become a teacher because I think education alone can solve all the problems of our society. I have a weak financial background but I feel education can help me overcome all hurdles of my life. And getting into the profession of spreading light to the lives of other people is what I want to do," says Mohini, whose favourite subject is Hindi.
As she will enter into Class XI next year, she says she will have to get more books and join coaching classes so that she does well in future. "The performance in Class XI and XII decides the future of a student, says Mohini and her wrinkled forehead expresses her helplessness and puts forward the question that where will the money for her quality education come from?
"During my exams, it becomes difficult to study in one room as we have kitchen also in the same room. The whistle of the pressure cooker distracts me whenever I sit to study in the evening. There is no other option for me and I am gradually getting used to studying in this environment," says Mohini.
Twenty years ago when Mohini's father, a native of Nepal, came to India with his wife, he had a hope and that was to make his life better. But now the suffering has become a part and parcel of his family's life. He is waiting for a miracle that would change his children's future for better.
Why does she need money
Mohini is good at studies but does not have enough money to spend on books and get quality education. She wants to score high in Class XII boards and says she needs to join coaching classes. Her weak financial background has become a hindrance. Moreover, she is blind in her left eye but manages to study with her right eye, which also had suffered a major injury a few months ago. Teachers, neighbours and friends had contributed money for her treatment.