“We are three siblings, with my sister being the eldest. My brother and I had recently completed our graduation while my sister got married in 2019. Our parents ran a chits business, but they never shared their financial situation with us. We enjoyed a close-knit circle of friends and family, often spending leisure time together. My sister used to earn a good six-digit salary and enjoyed time with friends and family. She was the kind of person who always pays the bill while going out with family or cousins. Money was never a priority for us; all we wanted was to be surrounded by people.
However, in April 2023, our world turned upside down when we discovered that our parents had gone bankrupt and left home to stay with relatives. Strangers began approaching us, demanding repayment of debts we had no knowledge of. As my sister was the only employed sibling back then, she drained her savings and took out loans to settle what debts we were aware of, but it barely made a dent. Unaware of the exact circumstances, we hoped that her loans would clear my parents’ financial issues. She went to the extent of spending the last rupee of her salary on EMIs. This puts us in a situation where we cannot even spend 100 rupees peacefully for ourselves now.
Despite spending the entire salary to rectify our parents’ mistake, which we are not aware of nor responsible for, the calls from creditors intensified for all three of us siblings. Some even resorted to threats of violence if we didn’t pay up. We found ourselves dragged into legal matters, despite being completely unaware of our parents’ financial affairs until their sudden disappearance.
By December 2023, we got to know that our parents were arrested during the process of attending a court hearing from one of the creditors who is a close friend of my dad. Determined to honor their debts, we sacrificed our insurance policies to gather funds, hoping to start a business.
Even with our parents behind bars, the harassment from creditors persisted, pushing us to the brink. The creditors’ threats escalated to terrifying levels, with some even insisting that all three of us should be imprisoned. They went as far as suggesting that the torment would cease only with our demise. These menacing ultimatums cast a dark shadow over our already burdened lives, leaving us feeling utterly trapped and desperate for a way out.
Caught between societal expectations and the harsh realities of our situation, I find myself grappling with a sense of injustice. Why must we bear the weight of my parents’ mistakes, especially when they shielded us from their financial woes for so long?
The pressure to assume responsibility for their actions feels suffocating, as if we are being punished for sins we didn’t commit. Yet, despite the overwhelming odds stacked against us, my siblings and I refuse to be crushed beneath the weight of society’s expectations.
In this desperate situation, we launched a business Yummyfills where the three of us work tirelessly, juggling shifts alongside our jobs and household duties to get some additional income generated. Our only respite will come when we manage to clear the debts and secure our parents’ release from jail. We are in a situation where we cannot afford legal help anymore and the only way to go forward is to earn and settle things.
Despite our efforts to start a business and forge ahead, the constant barrage of challenges and threats has taken a toll on our mental and emotional well-being, leading us to contemplate whether we have the strength to keep fighting in a world that seems determined to crush us. Yet, somewhere within us, there remains a glimmer of determination, a flicker of resilience urging us to cling to life and keep pushing forward, no matter how daunting the journey may seem.The unpredictability of life has become painfully evident to us, as each day brings new challenges and uncertainties.Yet, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, we are hopeful that tomorrow may bring a glimmer of relief, a ray of light in the darkness that surrounds us.”
We’ve learned the hard way that even those closest to us can turn against us in our time of need and Money is the only driving force in society.”