Just one smartphone at home, girl sacrifices studies for sister

Noida: Arti Shah, 16, had dreams of becoming a karate player. In 2018, she trained for a year at a private school in the neighbourhood and achieved the green belt. But as the lessons, which cost Rs 400 per month, became too expensive for her family, she gave up on her dreams and focussed on studies, not knowing that the pandemic would seize that from her as well.
Arti lives in a shanty in Nithari with her family of eight, and an NGO called Sadrag had helped her get admission to the Noida Public School, where she was studying in Class XII. But as the pandemic struck and the classes went online, she and her younger sister had to decide who gets to use the only smartphone in the family to follow the lectures, since both their classes start at 9 am.
“With only one smartphone in the house, the girls used to fight over the phone. We use small handsets using which they cannot attend online classes,” Arti’s mother, Budhni Shah, said.
The lockdown has been disastrous for the family. Arti’s father, Anil Shah, who ran a small general store, was forced out of business as most of the residents in the area, who were migrant workers, went back home. He now makes only Rs. 50-100 a day, barely enough to feed the large family.
“For the last 15 days, the store is shut. I only sell packets of gutkha now since I don’t have money to purchase essential items to sell,” he said.
One of the elder sisters who used to work with as NGO as a teacher and earn Rs 10,000 a month, also lost her job as the project had to be discontinued due to lack of funds.
In the circumstances, buying a smartphone so that Arti can attend classes is beyond their means. “We can’t even buy vegetables with what I am earning at present,” he said.
On top of this, there is the burden of paying rents for the shop and their house, which cost Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,000 per month, and which they have not been able to pay for the last two months.
The family says they depend on ration from the government. But although all of them are mentioned in the ration card, they get supply for only two members whose names made it to the ration dealer’s system.
“We went to the ration dealer in Nithari and the Noida Authority office multiple times last year to get this error corrected but failed to get it done,” Budhni said.
While Arti’s classes have begun, she does not have any of the books that were necessary for the Humanities curriculum this year.
“I wanted to go for karate championships but that would also cost money. Now, I want to prepare for the UPSC exam to get a government job,” Arti old TOI.