In 2008, Savita Labhade was faced with an unexpected crisis after her husband Atmaram died of a heart attack. He left his wife and two children behind, along with a debt of Rs 7 lakh.
Savita, who lives in Nashik, Maharashtra, was unaware of this debt. She only learned about it when cooperative banks came knocking at her door with notices, demanding she repay the dues. “It was almost a year later that I learned about the debts, and by this time, the interest had also increased,” the 40-year-old recalls to The Better India.
This financial crisis forced her to sell her only valuable possession — a gold chain. She also had to draw up a plan to relieve herself from the financial burden, and help her family survive. “My son, Dheeraj, was in Class IV at the time, and my daughter Sadhana was in Class II. We had 2.5 acres of a grape vineyard, which only yielded income once a year. I didn’t know anything about growing grapes, so I turned to cultivating vegetables instead,” Savita…