In one of the streets of Mysore, just before dusk when the soft glowing light from the sky spreads twilight all around, a dark, sturdy woman appears carrying a basket placed precariously on her head. The sweet fragrance from the basket tells, from yards before you reach her, that the basket she is carrying has flowers in it. Minutes later she can be seen going to almost every doorstep of that locality, giving out a shout to announce her arrival. Her voice pulls out the house owner who obediently comes out to take the flowers. The scene may appear to be just run-of-the-mill, something that can be seen on any street of a city; but, there is something remarkable about this woman who has been selling flowers in the J.P.Nagar area of Mysore for the 6-7 years. Mahadevamma is a 38-year-old lady residing in a remote village of Nanjangud, 30 kms from Mysore city. She was married to a mason when she was as young as 14 years. The starry-eyed girl entered her new phase of life with numerous dreams. But by the time she found out that her husband was a drunkard, irresponsible and insensitive person, she already had two daughters and was pregnant with third child. The real trouble came when her husband started shirking from work and squandering away all the money Mahadevamma had saved on gambling and alcohol.