Pragathiswaran (8/7/18)

Pragathiswaran (DOB: 8/7/18) and his older brother enjoy dancing. When there are celebrations or festivals in his hamlet, he entertains the locals with dance. Everyone in his village adores him. He is a good student who enjoys going to school. His father is a daily laborer in the agricultural field. His farming job is for a few months during planting and harvest. During the off-season, he searches for any available labor work in the village to make a living. His mother works for the government's 100 days of labor. She cleans and clears small shrubs near the roadside. The wages are minimal. They live in a small hut adjacent to a pond. In this particular village, people depend on pond water for all domestic use: bathing, washing clothes, washing utensils, etc. For drinking, they depend on the water supply from the government which comes in twice a week for a few hours. If the pond overflows or rains excessively, the waters rise and floods their hut. Pragathiswaran’s family is unable to stay in their hut and must seek refuge elsewhere. This kind of life affects the children's education and the family's overall well-being. The child's parents dream of building a better house and sending their children to a decent school, but they know this dream is far-fetched.