Slice of life: ‘I will not sell my pride to earn extra’

I have been an autorickshaw driver for about 25 years. It is a very interesting job. One day I am at Mylapore, another day at T Nagar and then at Medavakkam. You go all over the city for a drop and its fulfilling work. It is a service. You see so many elders here. The road is really unsafe for them. They’ll only give me Rs 20 for a ride that usually costs Rs 40, but I always take them and ensure they are dropped off safely. It’s our duty to our elders. Now with all those call taxi apps, the business has dipped. It is getting harder to find work. I am not a part of those apps. Why should I contribute to some foreign organisation’s growth when I can focus on helping Indians and the Indian business? I have pride in my work and my people, I am not going to sell it for an extra Rs 20 or Rs 30. But that makes it hard to bring my family here. They live in my hometown and I miss them so much. I cannot bring them here on my current earnings because it is just not sustainable. My oldest is studying in UKG. I want to make sure his future is not going to be like mine. He is studying in an English medium school. His teacher knows I am working far away. So she sends me videos of my son regularly. It helps when I start missing him.