Those who cannot afford to migrate are grappling with ill-effects such as yellowing teeth, brittle bones, deformity and weakness.
Most of the people in the tiny village, which has 30 houses and a population of around 100, suffer from deformity and several others are at risk of being afflicted by the same – courtesy: fluoride contamination in drinking water.
The remaining villagers who could not afford to migrate took up the task of identifying the cause of the deaths by themselves.
Although the villagers do not use water from the handpump for drinking, they continue to use it for other purposes like washing rice, water for cattle, bathing and so on.
The village has only three handpumps that form the source of drinking water.
Not just in Devanagar, but in many hamlets and Adivasi villages, handpumps are the only source of water.
The tiny house, indistinguishable from the rest of the houses, belongs to septuagenarian Ankavva.
Her entire family – 17 of them – suffer from illness caused by fluoride contamination, except for her two daughters who are married and reside in a different village.
So whenever the pain becomes acute, Rajanna ‘self-medicates’ by burning the area.
With no money left to continue treatment, Ravi has surrendered himself to Christianity, hoping to find a cure through a miracle.