Wasuki (Vasu): A sweet, 5-year-old innocent girl. She is the soul of the house but often lives in fear due to the constant tension at home.
Ila (Mother): A selfless woman who toils all day in the fields. Her only goal is to keep her children fed and happy.
Indra (Father): A man torn between his love for his family and his destructive addiction to alcohol, which brings darkness to their small hut.
Sneha (Sister): 3 years old; innocent and always clinging to Vasu.
Krishna (Brother): 1 year old; a fragile infant living in a makeshift cloth cradle.
The stars were still fading in the dusty sky of a remote Rajasthan village when the day began. Inside a dimly lit kitchen, the firewood crackled, and the earthy aroma of Raab filled the air. Wasuki held a cold clay bowl in her hands, sipping the thick millet porridge—the only fuel for the long, scorching day ahead. Outside, the rhythm of village life was already in motion. Shadows of small-scale farmers moved silently toward the fields, their tools clinking softly. These men worked the hardest, their lives defined by a cruel paradox: they gave the most sweat to the earth but received the least in return. As the sun climbed higher, the heat became a physical weight, turning their labor into a grueling battle for survival. By the time they returned, their spirits were as drained as their bodies, carrying a bone-deep exhaustion that no night's sleep could ever truly heal.
Money was perpetually scarce because the harvest was sold only once a year. Whenever the payment finally arrived, creditors would immediately appear at the door to take away whatever little had been earned. The situation was so dire that Wasuki's mother had hidden some savings to provide for the children, but Wasuki's father stole that money to buy alcohol. Now, Wasuki's mother cries bitterly, heartbroken and helpless. Forget buying toys—she realizes they don't even have enough money left for food.
This had become their daily routine—a constant struggle against hunger. In this small Rajasthani village, there was also a severe lack of educational facilities. Due to these hardships, children were rarely sent to school. Even the "school" itself wasn't a proper building; it was merely a small setup run inside the Panchayat Bhawan. Wasuki and many other children were kept away from education, forced to spend their days amidst poverty and a total lack of resources.
Since the school operated within the Panchayat building, there was no electricity. Children were forced to sit in dark, humid rooms. The biggest challenge was that no one in the village understood the true importance of education. There was no one to teach them the difference between right and wrong. When adults spent their entire day worrying about just two square meals, the conversation regarding a child's future simply vanished. Without guidance or basic facilities, the childhood of these kids was fading away within those dark walls and constant scarcity.
In that village, gender discrimination was a harsh reality. After Wasuki and her sister, a younger brother was born, and the entire family showered him with love. While Wasuki and her sister were confined to household chores and a life of lack, the brother was treated with special care as the "heir" of the family. This discrimination added a heavy burden to Wasuki's young heart; she could see that, as a girl, her dreams were valued far less than her brother's.
The days continued in the same monotonous routine. Whenever Wasuki mentioned going to school, her family would immediately silence her. They told her plainly that there was no need for her to go anywhere—her only job was to look after her younger brother. Being so young, Wasuki didn't realize how vital education was for her future. She felt that obeying her elders was the right thing to do, so she stayed home without complaint, spending her time caring for her brother. Her world was limited to the doorstep of her house and her sibling's needs.
There was a seven-year age gap between Wasuki and her brother. As time passed, the routine shifted: her brother started going to school, while Wasuki's education ended abruptly after the 5th grade. Now, she accompanied her parents to the fields every day. Even after sweating under the harsh sun, there was no peace at home. Her father would return at night intoxicated, revealing his violent side. Shouting in a drunken stupor and creating chaos became a daily occurrence. Wasuki remained crushed between manual labor and housework, watching her brother go to school while she stayed behind.
Wasuki's life continued this way—a life starved of love and burdened by a dire domestic situation that forced her to grow up far too soon. At an age when children should have toys in their hands and golden dreams in their hearts, Wasuki held farm tools and carried family worries. Instead of affection, she received neglect and the constant feeling of being a burden. Amidst this poverty and daily turmoil, she didn't even realize when she lost her childhood. For her, day meant labor, and night meant the fear of her father. Craving even a drop of love, her life had reached a point where her innocence was completely gone.