Slice Of Life: ‘My family has to stay in Kerala as I can’t afford rent in city’

I am from Kerala and came to Chennai at the age of 15. I have been working at tea shops since then. After completing Class 10, I started working at a furniture shop in Kerala. But that only lasted for six months. I moved to Chennai to earn more. My family is settled in Kerala. They used to live with me in the city for five years. But as I couldn’t manage to pay the rent, they moved back to Kerala. I have two daughters; elder one is studying in Class 11 and younger in Class 5. My day starts at 7 am and I must stay in the shop for almost 10 hours. The business used to be dull due to the mushrooming of many similar shops in the area. It has picked up again after new snacks and beverages were introduced in the shop. We also have canteen contracts from nearby schools. So, the business is going well nowadays. The income I get is enough for my family and my expenses here. I am so tired after working throughout the week that I just sleep on my day off. I don’t get time to go meet friends. I go back to Kerala every month to meet my family.