Hard Work Of This 102-Yr-Old Woman Vegetable Seller 'Keeps The House Running'

Lakshmi Maity, at 102 years of age, provides for her family's needs by selling vegetables every day at the local market. She is a resident of the Jogiberh village in the district of Purba Medinipur in West Bengal and buys her stock in bulk at Kolaghat, even as early as 4 am at times.

She then puts it all on a rickshaw and heads to the nearby local market to sell them every day.

A Struggle At First

Maity's husband had died around 48 years ago; she had to take up selling vegetables for a living and to "keep the house running". Her husband was probably the breadwinner of the family, and Maity told PTI that they had to "go without food for days."

She also said that her son was only 16 years at the time and that sustaining the house would get "really difficult", especially during illness. But she was resilient and tried her best to fulfil her family's needs.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

The last decade, though, has improved Maity's situation immensely. The floating of elderly self-help groups (ESHG) schemes by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like HelpAge India has been highly supportive of women like her.

A senior official of HelpAge India, Abhijit Sen, said the centenarian had been an inspiration for the young and old alike. He added that she repaid her loans on time and is one of the many women they've helped with the ESHG scheme.

She explained, "Our situation changed for the better eight years ago when the NGO provided Rs 40,000 as a loan for setting up a tea-snacks vending business for my son," as reported by NDTV.

Her family home now has a television set and new furnishings to make her house a pucca one, something she has worked hard for. She also cleared all her loans with the earnings.

Support From A Proud Family

Her 64-year-old son, Gour, calls his mother "an incarnation of Goddess Durga," saying that she has fed not only her children but her children's children as well. She had financed Gour's daughter's marriage too. Her 28-year-old grandson, Subrata, said that he is very proud of his grandmother, and while flaunting his android cellphone, he added, "What my father couldn't buy for me, my grandmother did."

Gour, calling Maity an 'iron woman', added that though most cases show mothers to be dependant on their sons, his mother was never dependent on him. For the past five decades, Maity has never let financial restrictions bring her family down or let their situation affect their basic needs. When asked if she had plans to retire, Maity said she had not given it a thought.

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