Slice Of Life: ‘I love cooking and can speak five languages’

I am originally from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. I came to Chennai in 2005 in search of a job. When I moved to the city, my family was going through a difficult time. We hand several financial burdens. As my parents were old and not in a position to work, the responsibility of running the family became mine. I had to leave home and come here to earn a living. I have studied till Class 10 only. I was doing small part-time jobs in my native after schooling before I had to leave. I had also lived in Odisha and I can talk five languages, including Oriya, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. I stay in KK Nagar and work a 12-hour shift as a watchman at an ATM in Egmore. My family — father, mother, wife and two sons — stays in my native. I like south Indian food and have learnt to cook these recipes on my own. I cook my own food as I stay alone and cooking is one of my favourite activities. Also, it is more economical. It is important for me to be frugal and save as much as I can. I tend to spend less on me so that I can take good care of my family. I have been working as security guard for more than 12 years now. I am associated with a private security service provider in the city. Besides my job, I love to go around the city in my free time. My favourite places are Marina Beach, Amman Kovil in KK Nagar and even shopping malls. I often go to Express Avenue and Forum Vijaya Mall. I sometimes shop in the malls for my family.