Slice Of Life: ‘I ran this shop for 45 yrs, yet could not earn enough to build one for myself’

Ihave been running this bicycle shop off Choolaimedu High Road for around 45 years. During the early years, not many families had bicycles of their own and they used to depend on rental ones. So, I started this shop as a bicycle rental shop. But nowadays everyone has a motorcycle. No one takes bicycles on rent so stopped giving cycles on rent and started to repair them. 

But, even after running a shop for 45 years at the same location, I have not been able to earn enough money to build my own shop or house. I could not do so even when the land prices were low a few decades ago. With the pittance that I make, I have to pay rent for my shop and my house in Chromepet. I take the local train daily to come to work. 

I was born in Myanmar (Burma) and attended school until Class 1. Then I dropped out to work in a bicycle shop in Burma for 10 years. My father was the owner of a hotel there. But we lost everything after we were forced out of the country. We arrived here empty-handed in 1964 when I was only 14. My father was forced to work as a daily labourer here. Now, I have a son who works as a painter.