Reena spends a lot of time with her granddaughter Prishita. She owns a little shop at Bhavani Peth, the slum area where she lives and provides for herself. Raising four children wasn’t easy for her, but now that they are all independent, Reena can stay focused on her life while offering support with the grandchildren from time to time. 

“My daughter works in an office and so does my son-in-law. Prishita spends a lot of her time with me. Every morning she wakes up laughing, can recite poems and identify colours. She eats well and only eats home cooked food. We regularly make sure she gets her deworming dose and timely vitamin A supplementation,” she states with a sense of assurance. 

Pointing out how much life has changed in the slum since her youth, she says, “There have been a lot of changes if I compare my childhood to hers. In my childhood, there were no such medicines or supplements available or they were too expensive. There are so many facilities now, and quick response centres if immediate care is required for a child.”

Despite owning a grocery store, Reena ensures that her granddaughter has limited access to packaged food and grows on healthy fruits and home meals. “I want her to study well and pick a life of her choice someday,” she conveys with a smile.