Slice of life: ‘It is a pity that one has to work at my age, especially in hot weather’

Hemavathy P (52), Clay goods seller

The hot weather makes working on the road really difficult, given my age. It’s a pity one still has to work at my age. I have no family to take care of me. My husband passed away six months after my wedding. He was an accountant with a company. He died in an accident, and I was left alone. I don’t feel too lonely anymore. I have been in the business of selling clay pots for more than 30 years. It’s my family business, and I took it up to sustain myself after my husband died. We don’t make the products but get them from artisans near Tiruchy. I live with my younger brother and his family. He has two children. For Pongal, we prayed and ate together before I came to work. The day after Pongal, we prepared some meat dishes for everyone. My brother’s daughter studies in Class 11. I consider her my daughter. She even looks like me - she didn’t get her mother’s light skin. She has some of my features too. So people always ask if she’s my daughter. She’s a very bright girl. She likes to study. When I had to get my Aadhaar card, she was the one who came and helped me and explained the whole process. There are five of us in one house. There’s always someone around to keep me company. I come here to work to get a break from all their noise, actually.