Former Devadasi struggles to treat ill son

Davangere: They may have given up their old lives in the hope of a better future, but life is still hard for many former Devadasis, who are having to fend for themselves with little help from the government.

For  Ratnamma , escape from the Devadasi system was a relief , but still poor and struggling to make ends meet, she is now battling to save the life of her son, who is suffering from renal failure.   

Her son, twenty seven year old  Veerendra began to drive an autorickshaw after passing his  class X exams to help his mother out.  

But the family, which was beginning to find its feet, has now had the rug pulled out from under it with his illness . Having lost the use of  both his kidneys, Veerendra’s life hangs in the balance today.

Rushing to his rescue, Ratnamma has offered  to donate her kidney to him to save his life. But she cannot afford the money required for the transplantation, which could cost upto Rs six lakhs.  

She is already struggling to pay the  Rs 12,000 for his  dialysis every week. “I don’t know what to do as my son is suffering from kidney failure at such a young age. 

God should save him and  take my life,” Ratnamma weeps, adding that the doctor had advised him to  go in for a transplantation in a couple of  months and she is ready to  even pledge their house to raise the money needed for this.

In the meanwhile, Veerendra’s younger brother, Srikanth,  has begun driving an autorickshaw to help run the family. But no one else has offered any help to the brave woman in taking care of her ailing son, least of all the state government.