Champarani lives in the smelly Bhoot Gali, literally meaning ghost lane. She shares a small room, which has a mud floor and a leaking roof, with four other women. They share the rent of Rs. They use water from a well, full of polluted water from the Ganga river. The rice, given by the ashram, is collected and sold at the end of the month.
Many women find jobs as servants, but continue singing to earn a little extra.
The kirtan becomes a part-time job. We come here to praise the lord. But younger widows feel that singing is indeed a job. The older widows are too feeble to sing or work. Most of them are reduced to begging.