Goats rummage through the waste as you make your way through a maze of cramped lanes — the sound from a television blaring from a neighbouring house, a stray dog lying in the wet mud to ward off the heat, and a black cat crossing your path. The two-room space looks small, hidden in a nondescript corner with shanties on either side. A group of 10 women occupy this dingy quarter in the Janakiram Layout slum in Banaswadi, Bengaluru, next to piles of garbage by the railway track. Each woman here has a story to tell. Kamala (34) was abandoned by her husband nine years ago and has single-handedly looked after her four children since then. She suffers from wheezing but likes to work here. Sophia (32) likes to cook and has accompanied a Sindhi family as a maid to Spain, London and Nigeria. All her children study at school as well. Mathamma (27) has a hearing disability but that hasn’t impaired her creativity. Most of these women work day jobs as domestic help in households.

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