Hardships. Music. Love. And
the Power of Eternal Hope.Lakshmi Khanagar loves to sing. Her clear, lilting
voice belies the struggles this 27-year-old has already
seen in her young life. Born in a little hamlet in Gokak
Taluk of Belgaum district, she always had to fend for
herself. As a child, Lakshmi was forcefully sent away
to Goa to work as a maid for an affluent family. But
she fought her way back home against everybody’s
wishes. She then joined a hostel meant for backward
classes in Gokak with the intent of finishing schooling
without being a burden to her family. These years
proved to be more arduous than she had thought.“The living conditions were very poor and our food
was always left uncovered. We would even find
worms in the food on some days, but hungry that we
were, we had no other choice but to eat what was
served to us.”The Urge to Conquer.
After schooling, Lakshmi knew she could not expect
any support from her family to study further. She
joined a hospital and worked night shifts to be able to
pay her college fees, which she attended during the
day. Although doing this was taking a toll on her,
Lakshmi kept at it and successfully completed her
12th grade.“I stumbled upon a classified ad in the newspaper
for a marketing job with a local company selling
dental hygiene products and decided to apply for it.
Although I was happy to get through, there were
newer problems that came with the job.”Lakshmi and her colleagues had to walk several
kilometres on a daily basis and knock on
unwelcoming doors in the quest to sell as much as
they could. She was soon promoted to the post of a
manager. And work was not the only thing that she
had to cheer about.Around that time, I met Vishnu and we fell in love. It
was the best thing that has ever happened to me.”Lakshmi Khanagar
“When I sing, I forget everything. I only want
to see happy faces before me and try to give
it my best, every single time.”THE WEEK • JULY 21, 2019 5THIS IS AN AWARENESS INITIATIVE DONE IN ASSOCIATION WITH HCG
PLUS