TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
SANGUEM: At a time when some children have been victims of sexual abuses in the State, fate has been equally cruel, albeit in a different way, towards a 9-year-old girl from the Dhangar community at Kuinamoll in Kalay-Sanguem.
Sandhya Zore effectively lost the last member of her family when her mother expired on January 29. Her father passed away when she was barely one year old and her uncle died a short while later. This triple loss has left Sandhya an orphan and she would have been virtually abandoned, had it not been for a few kind neighbours.
Sandhya’s sad story goes back to 2005, barely a year after her birth. She and her parents were residing at Potrem-Sanguem, when her father, Gangaram, died of a brief illness that year. She was then raised by her mother, Raghi, but life became difficult as there was no relative in her late husband’s family to support them.
Raghi and Sandhya then returned to her maternal house at Kuinamoll-Kalay, where Raghi’s brother, Samo Lambor, assisted them in all possible ways. He even constructed a separate hut for them to stay in the village.
Raghi subsequently began working on daily wages and the meagre salary enabled her to look after the well-being of Sandhya and to enrol her in the nearby Government Primary School.
Raghi and Sandhya were then hit by another setback when Samo passed away suddenly a few years later. Despite being left without a husband and brother, Raghi continued to provide all support and care to her minor daughter.
All seemed well for the next few years, until misfortune intervened for the third time when Raghi died of a massive heart attack on January 29. Sandhya was left an orphan at the age of nine and to add to her tragic story, Sandhya had no relative to look after her.
Moved by her plight, a few neighbours decided to take care of her for the time being. At present, Sandhya continues to attend her Std III classes at Government Primary School (Dudhal-Kalay) and returns to her hut for studies. She goes to her neighbour’s house for meals and to spend the night.
On hearing the sad story of Sandhya’s life, Quepem MLA Babu Kavlekar, who also heads the All Goa Dhangar Samaj, visited Sandhya and assured her of all necessary support. Santosh Mahanandu Naik of the Priol-based Mahanandu Pratisthan also offered some assistance to Sandhya. Some other associations and individuals have also pledged support to her.
A bank account has now been opened for the benefit of Sandhya and neighbours hope that sufficient funds are donated by generous individuals and associations in the State to ensure that the young girl is able to lead a normal life.
