For around the same period of time, Saroj Rana, 13, has discontinued her tuitions.

Several of their friends are not appearing for the school examinations currently underway.

And quite a few of their fathers' colleagues, who once earned around Rs 5,000 a month, have taken to driving auto-rickshaws or selling vegetables.

When a company goes into the red, the greatest impact is perhaps absorbed by the workers' families. Uncertainty is now the most consistent factor in the lives of the 2,100 employees of Petrofils Cooperative Limited -- the country's only cooperative in the synthetic yarn sector, as the Centre is yet to take a decision on its revival.

``Who will give us 50-year-olds any work?'' questions senior analyst Janardhan Singh. He has had to curb the one indulgence his family enjoyed: non-vegetarian food once a week. ``But even this measure saves just Rs 400 a month'', he grimaces.

Sakuben Shinora's husband used to earn around Rs 5,000 a month, but is now vending vegetables. ``At least it gets him Rs 20-25 a day'', she says with tears in her eyes. ``Now there are about five people eking a living like this, but if something doesn't happen soon, there could be many more''.

Many operators, driven to equally dire straits, are driving auto-rickshaws for a livelihood, says Trupti Trivedi, a home-maker. Hemlata Pandya, wife of the Petrofils' personnel manager, says her family, too, is facing an funds crunch.

The Shinora children, along with several others, cannot appear for their examinations as they haven't been able to pay their school fees. ``Teachers have actually sent our children back from school because they couldn't pay the fees'', says Nisha Shitole.

Residents do not have money to replace LPG cylinders. ``If we cut trees for wood to cook food, the management objects,'' says Shanta Dhanji Gohil, a housewife.

Points out union general secretary Jayant Patwardhan, ``Only those who've been working for some time have savings.'' Agrees senior officer (marketing) Atul Vaish, ``Not everyone can bank on their savings''.

Restrictions, denials are finding new expressions everyday. Five-year-old Nirmala's milk ration has been halved; Bisuben Rana, whose husband was an operator with Petrofils, has stopped buying fruits and sarees. And if everyone has a common grouse, it's that the grocer at the 200-house Petrofils Nagar refuses to give them credit. But, says Mukund Ganatra of Swagat Provision Store, ``The debts had mounted to nearly Rs 1 lakh''.

Almost every regular tradesman has suffered the domino effect of the Petrofils crisis. Suresh Patel, a cloth merchant, claims the Petrofils employees owes him nearly Rs 1.25 lakhs; A K Sharma, a milk-shop owner, says his sales have dropped almost by half.

``We don't know what we'll do if the company closes down'', says Hardi Vyas. ``Last month we at least managed to pay the electricity bills with the Society Trust money; next month I don't know what'll happen.''

Set up in 1974 to safeguard the interest of weavers, Petrofils' fortunes took a downturn in 1990-91 with the entry of private companies into the sector. Even the establishment of another plant at Naldhari failed to check the debts.

In this scenario, a point of no return was perhaps predictable. But it is only over the past year that salaries have been irregular; no salaries were paid out at all for November and December, 1998. Non-payment of electricity bills of nearly Rs 17 crores triggered a power disconnection at the Vadodara and Naldhari plants.

Though a management-appointed private firm has proposed a revival package, no decision has been taken on it. In-charge chairman and managing director Chinnmay Bhattacharya says it'll be some time before a final decision is taken.

``Only on Wednesday, a representation was made for the salaries'', Bhattacharya says, adding that over the past few years, the total outstanding dues against the company had touched Rs 600 crores.

``The firm has had no working capital for the past two years'', Bhattacharya says, adding that Petrofils also needed to be brought out of the Co-operative Society's purview to allow funds to be raised through public issues. ``We have also sought financial assistance for starting the plants,'' he says.