Praful Patel, Vice President of the South Asia region for the World Bank, tries to ‘trace the small changes’ in the lives of Bhavnaben and her family in the Rann of Kutch:

But, there are many pitfalls in the climb out of poverty. Fourteen year old Chandrika, the eldest daughter, had been pulled out of school so that Bhavnaben could spend more time at work alongside her husband. And the eldest son was needed to man the shop. Although the three younger children were still in school, how much they were actually learning was another question. I strongly suspected that Kumar, the second son, was being taken out to work on the salt pans. All parents dream of giving their children a better future. But poor families’ inability to cope without their children’s labor invariably compromises the one thing that can make a real difference - education. The question continues to nag me: Will Bhavnaben’s children ever be able to avail of the new opportunities provided by India’s booming economy?