Slice Of Life: ‘I don’t want my kids to settle in city like Chennai’

I was born in Nagercoil and studied till fifth standard. As I could not do well in studies, I decided to move to the city at the age of 12. My father was a farmer. Upon reaching the city, I worked in a bakery and learned how to bake biscuits. I worked there for several years until I started to sell biscuits and snacks on my own. I had my pushcart shop at Flower Bazaar but it was evicted by the government when they removed the flower shops and moved them to Koyambedu Wholesale Market. 

While I was selling snacks in Flower Bazaar area, two robbers stabbed me on my stomach to rob money from me. I thought I would die that day but thankfully, the police and doctors saved my life. When the flower shops were moved to Koyambedu, I had also moved there. I was able to do my sales only on Sundays and on other days my earning was low. So, I moved my pushcart to Egmore. 

Here, commuters buy snacks every day. I would spend Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 to procure snack items and earn a profit of around Rs 500 every day. I buy items in bulk and repack them in small packets. My son and daughter are well educated. They are working in Nagercoil. I do not want them to settle in a city like Chennai where even neighbours will not care if anything happens. 

I want my family to live in native where they can stay close to my relatives. Relatives are the ones who would come to help when bad things happen.