Shahida Parveen used to perch on the front of her bangle shop every day from morning till evening, calling out to the people passing by and urging them to buy her delicate, bright, rainbow-tinted bangles.
Her bangle shop was quite famous in the area as she was an ace match finder. She will find the best bangles for various purposes, from marriage to religious ceremonies.
During the violence of April 2, Hindutva vigilantes looted and destroyed Shahida’s shop with the intent to economically emasculate Muslims in the area.
“In our family, almost everyone sells bangles,” said Shahida. “Our livelihood depends on the festive season, and we do the maximum business on occasions such as Rakshabandhan, Karva Chauth, Ramnavami and Diwali.”
As she heard that violence had erupted in the area, she darted early in the morning to see her shop. On reaching, she saw that her humble stock was plundered and the shop was set on fire.
While weeping with the blowing nose, she saw that her only source of earning a livelihood was smouldering in the fire. She tried to hide her grief behind the hem of her Dupatta.
The bangle shop was the only source of income for Shahida and her family, which also consisted of her children. As she saw her subsistence slowly smoking away in the fire of hatred, Shahida must have felt a great sense of injustice that she was put through without doing anything that could justify the snatching away of her livelihood.
Shahida’s family was on the brink of destitution when Miles2Smile met her during the Karauli Relief Work. While narrating the occurrences of that day, Shahida’s eyes could not restrain the tears as she tried to dab them with her Dupatta. Shahida was deeply disheartened seeing her children starving.
How can a mother compose while her children are clamouring for food?
The organization assisted Shahida in restoring her bangle shop. Using one and a half lakhs donated by the people, she has rebuilt her shop with a new stocks of bangles.
The jingles of bangles have added happiness to a new chapter in her life.
