Slice Of Life: I have not gone to school even for a singe day

I was born in Perambur and presently living in rented accommodation in Periamet. I make footwears and sell them on the platforms. I also repair torn footwears. When I was a child, my father left my mother, me and my brothers. My mother could not educate us due to the poor financial situation. So, I have not gone to a school even for a single day. I moved to Bengaluru in the 1980s in search of better livelihood. I had regular customers, who were footwear shop owners there, and I supplied my products to them. Now, the influx of north Indians to Bengaluru sidelined people like me. I do not like to work as a coolie in the city where I led a better life. So, I returned to Chennai last year. I sell my footwears on pavements where space is available. One day, I would sit at Parrys Corner and another day I come to Periamet. On Fridays, I don’t get space in Periamet as more street vendors come to sell their products to people visiting the Periamet mosque. My family is in Bengaluru and I visit them during festival holidays.