TMKOC: Desperate Times

During the lockdown Gokuldham is eerily silent. Bhide’s tuition income is gone. Bills stack. Rations shrink. Their daughter Sonu’s admission deadline ticks closer. Madhvi pawns her wedding mangalsutra, skips meals, sells the last sari and jars, still not enough. Hollow-eyed and trembling, clutching a tiny envelope of the last cash, she stands at Jethalal Gada’s door to make one final plea.