When a severe heart attack caused the sudden demise of traffic police constable Baban Kathe, her five-month pregnant widow and three kids were left with no other option than to immediately vacate the police headquarters at Khadki and move to Janwadi, a slum in Gokhale Nagar. For 27-year-old Murli Bai, who got only hours to mourn her husband's death, it was time when even the last flame of hope refused to flicker. With relatives already distancing themselves from the bereaved Kathes the widow knew she had to face the world on her own.

And so did Simranjeet Sangha's mother Satwant Kaur. Widowed at the age of 27 with two-and-a-half-years-old son Simranjeet and one and a half year old daughter Mona, Kaur had a string of misfortunes lined up to test her patience. But she did not let her patience run out. A result to her tireless efforts is Simranjeet's success. Simarnjeet made it to the Indian Military Academy (IMA) after he stood 63rd in the final list of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations in the first attempt and without any tutions. With no qualifications or family support, Kaur was left with nothing but her husband's pension to rely on."It was a difficult time since it happened quite suddenly. I had to take care of my son and my daughter, who were very small when he died," says Kaur

Murli Bai, who was an illiterate unlike Kaur, did not have the support of her husband's pension. However after shuttling between her home in Janwadi and police headquaters for a year she got a job as an assitant cook at police headquarters. And it was then that her quest began," I had four children -- two sons and two daughters and they were equal for me. I wanted to educate all of them because I suffered a lot after my husband's death as I was an illiterate. I did not want the same for my kids."

... contd.