‘I had to Quit my Studies to Feed my Family’ – Rabbit Girl of Pahalgam

A nomadic girl, Rubeena is popularly known as the ‘rabbit girl of Pahalgam’ who lives in Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Kashmir. She left her school three years back due to poor financial conditions at her home. For her family of eight – an ailing father, mother, and five other siblings – this 10-year-old and her rabbit is the only hope of earning two square meals a day. It’s only when the tourists visiting Pahalgam pose with her rabbit that Rubeena can earn some money, the family’s only source of income. She has been doing this work for the last three years, she makes around 300 rupees a day.