Vinoda and Naveen now live their grandmother their grandmother Lakshmi.
The eyes of 12-year-old Vinoda well up with tears each time she recalls how her father said sorry to her before he died. A cotton farmer in Telangana's Medak district, Balanarasaiah had drunk pesticide last month, leaving behind his two children, his mother and a debt of Rs 3 lakh.
Now their grandmother Lakshmi is desperately worried that the children will be taken away by the loan sharks to work as bonded labourers.
"There were just too many loans to repay... That is why my father died,'' said Vinoda, recalling how her father had wanted her to do well in studies. "He never sent us to work. He told us, 'you go to school','' she said, recalling the good times before her mother died.
Balanarsaiah's wife's death last year had left him guilt-ridden. They had been unable to afford proper treatment for her. And then came the drought, taking away his hopes of saving the standing cotton crop on his one-and-a-half-acre plot.
The family has got no help from the government so far - despite a police case that said Balanarsaiah's death was suicide. It was a blow for Lakshmi, who had hoped to send Vinoda and his brother Naveen to a hostel far from their village - Thimmapur -- where they could be safe and have a future.
"They will be away from me. They are already orphaned. But what is the choice I have? I will visit them whenever possible and hope they continue to study,'' she said.
Once a playful boy, Naveen is now silent, virtually a recluse. "When my mother was alive, she did everything for us. Now we have to manage ourselves,'' he said, staring at her photograph.
Here's how you can help:Name : Naveen Kyasaram
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