Reclaiming Ground: Dhana’s Fight for Her Land and Her Children’s Future
After leaving an abusive marriage, Dhana rebuilt her life from a hut on family land — only to find that land was never legally hers. Vimarsh is now helping her fight for it.
Dhana is 45 years old and a mother of three. After facing domestic violence in her marriage, she made the difficult decision to leave her husband and return to her parents’ village with her children. Soon after, she lost both her parents, and her brother asked her to leave the family home. She was left with only a small portion of land her father had set aside for her, where she built a small hut for herself and her children.
Since then, Dhana has supported her family by working as a daily-wage labourer — work she says pays her less than it pays men doing the same job in her village, leaving little room to save for a safer home. Nearly everything she earns goes toward her children’s education. When the nationwide lockdown hit, she lost her income entirely, and for a time her family survived on rations donated by neighbours.
The land her father intended for her is still registered in her brother’s name, and he has been unwilling to transfer it to her — without it, she has struggled to obtain basic documents like an Aadhaar card and ration card in her own name.
A member of a local Women’s Group connected Dhana with Vimarsh. The team visited her at home, provided emergency ration support, and is now working with her on the legal steps needed to secure her rightful claim to the land.
“After losing my parents, I felt completely alone,” Dhana said. “Now I know Vimarsh is there for me.”
What changed
Emergency ration support provided. Vimarsh is providing legal support to help Dhana secure her rightful claim to her family's land.
Related project: Aagaz