Thirty-five year-old Ponkodi of Madapalli village, about 120 km from Vellore, toils every day to take care of her three children. Her life changed three years ago when her husband died due to alcoholism, making her the sole breadwinner of the family. Ponkodi’s sister Thamizhselvi’s ordeal is no better. Also a widow, the 30-year-old has been struggling with each passing day to raise her five children after her husband’s death one-and-a-half years ago.
Like Ponkodi and Thamizhselvi, many women in Madapalli have lost their husbands to the liquor menace. Locals claim that the village has not less than 200 widows, including around 70 in their mid 20s, giving Madapalli the name ‘village of widows’, said a report on 8 August.
Till a few years ago, Madapalli was a brewing ground for illicit liquor. Several families were involved in brewing and selling liquor for decades, with the men ending up addicted to it. “Though police have managed to rid the village of illicit liquor to some extent, alcoholism continues to haunt the womenfolk of Madapalli,” said S Rajendran, panchayat president.