S Mugila was nine years old on 16th December. In 2019, just five weeks before her eighth birthday, her father was killed in “an accident”. At time of writing, I do not know what sort of accident it was, but I suspect it was a road traffic accident.
A total 437,396 road accidents were recorded across India in 2019, resulting in the death of 154,732 people and injuries to another 439,262, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. These are shocking figures; they equate to a jumbo jet crashing every day of the year….
In Mugila’s case, the reality of losing a beloved father means not only grief, but real hardship for the family. Her mother works for “daily wages” – a very low income indeed and she had no other source of financial help until the Grail Trust stepped in.
Mugila has three elder sisters. Although supposedly illegal, the dowry system remains rife. The bride’s family is put under great financial burden to pay the groom’s family durable goods, cash and even property. In some cases, the dowry system leads to crime against women, ranging from emotional abuse and injury to even deaths. Lynda knows of one mother who got into so much debt to see one of her daughters married that she attempted suicide – thankfully she survived.
Mugila attends the Hindu Middle School in Mavadi, and is in the fourth standard. The teachers urged the Grail Trust to help Mugila during Chairman Neil and trustee Lynda’s visit to the school last year.
