ONE Family

 Nisha (name changed) is almost a parent to her infant brother. At the tender age of 6, she is expected to bathe, feed and care for her younger siblings and do household chores while her parents are at work. Raja (name changed) was paralysed waist down due to an industrial accident. Roles reversed in his family when his young daughter had to become the primary caregiver to her father.  In the slums of Peenya in North Bengaluru, family units do not function the way most of us understand them to be. For most urban children their age, the only responsibility is to get ready for school in the morning, not for these children who are integral to running households.  12 year old Payal (name changed) is the daughter of a single mother- her father died a few years back. Single women with daughter(s) are often easy targets in ecosystems such as these. While her mother was at work, Payal faced physical and sexual abuse. Complaints to her mother were brushed off for long until the gi...

  A daughter is born. A father holds the baby's hand in his, promising to give her the best education, to nurture her impulse to achieve and to stand by her dreams. The baby, eyes drowsy, is placed in a cradle and rocked to sleep with these words... "Beautiful anklets adorning your feet, Eyes lined with Kohl. Graceful and Coy; The Lord shall come to take your hand."   A son is born. A father holds the baby's hand in his, promising the best of the world to him, promising to make him a brave man, to nurture his desires and strengthen his resolve to achieve. The baby, eyes drowsy, is placed in a cradle and rocked to sleep with these words... "Brave and righteous you are. Bow and arrow in Hand, destroyer of evil. Look at those majestic feet; Stepping into the world, head held high."   Every night as they fall asleep, little boys are sung 'traditional' songs of bravery, of being leaders and being the king; while girls are cuddled into thoughts of the cele...