The poorest place in India

I still remember his frail body struggling against the strong hot afternoon wind. The boy who must have only just entered his teens was trying to plough the land with a pair of oxen that were skeletons of the animals they had once been. What struck me was the sheer sense of urgency and desperation with which he was going about his work. As if, that was his last chance to feed himself and his family. It was kind of ironic because the ground beneath his feet that extended beyond him as far as the eyes could see was rocky, barren and lifeless, holding little promise to reciprocate kindly to anyone who toiled at it. This place was Pati, a block in Badwani district of Madhya Pradesh; one of the poorest regions in India.

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