Light Legacy & Shaktidhaam Foundation Blog

Soni Devi’s family is a typical family in the Harishchandra Ghat, the impoverished neighborhood adjacent to the ashram. Just like most other families in Harishchandra Ghat, Soni’s family survives day to day on the poverty wages earned by Soni’s husband.

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Harishchandra Ghat

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Harishchandra Ghat is a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Kashi adjacent to Shaktidhaam ashram. It is one of several cremation Ghats situated next to the Ganga. In these cremation Ghats, the primary business is a crematorium, and many of the neighborhood men work as a Dom or caretaker in the crematorium. As a crematorium Ghat, the neighborhood houses the lowest of the lowest caste in India, the poorest of the poor.

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Soni’s husband lives in another area, outside this Ghat, to be close to his work. He works as a “trolley man” or trolley driver. A trolley is a 3-wheeled bicycle that transports various goods and items from place to place, person to person.

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Being a trolley driver is a very low-level and extremely strenuous job with very long hours. Earnings are meager. Soni cannot contribute to the family’s income, and a trolley driver’s wages barely allow them to feed their family and meet their basic needs.

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Soni's Family and Shaktidhaam

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Soni and her husband have 3 children, two daughters, Rajini and Sandy, and their younger brother Aditya. Last year, Aditya had life-saving heart surgery (funded in part by Shaktidhaam Foundation).

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Soni and her children regularly attend the bhandaras hosted by Shaktidhaam ashram. The hot, nutritious meals are often the only nutritious food available for Soni and her children on any given day (or longer).

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There are many, many families in situations similar to Soni’s in Harishchandra Ghat. With your help, we can change their lives, one child, one meal at a time.

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We Can Make a Difference

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Now, with your help, we can make a difference for everyone living in this Ghat. We can change their lives, one child, one meal at a time.

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Tuesday, November 29 is Giving Tuesday.

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GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. ~GivingTuesday.org~

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Light Legacy and Shaktidhaam Foundation have received a match commitment from several individuals and business owners in our Sai Maa Community. In other words, your donation will be matched dollar for dollar.

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On Giving Tuesday (or anytime between now and then), please help support families living in Harishchandra Ghat who struggle to feed their children at all, much less healthy, nourishing meals. Because of generous people like you, we can make a difference in their lives.

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“Feed one person, just one person. And if you can afford to feed more than one, please do so. Start to realize there is somebody that you know on a soul level who needs to be fed.”
~ Sai Maa

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Monthly Donation

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By making your donation a monthly gift to Shaktidhaam Foundation’s Just One hunger program, we can provide crucial support for families who live with constant food insecurity.

Living in the Ghat: Soni Lives Hand to Mouth