Slice of Life: ‘I am saving to go home’

In 2013, I took the train to Chennai from Bihar. I am from Darbhanga and tried really hard to get into the army, but unfortunately, that didn’t work out. I had to search for a job really hard. I knew that I had to move out of home if I wanted to make a decent living. Most of the young men from my town work in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. These metros have always been the preferred cities for many. 

In the last few years, many people started going South. Many of my friends and acquaintances started going to Bengaluru. When I planned to move, someone suggested that I go to Chennai since there was a heavy demand for workers. A friend even told me that his relative had found a job in Chennai Metro and was earning a decent salary. 

That is how I boarded a train that took me to Chennai. I was, in a new city, with nowhere to go. I spent a couple of nights at the station and in the mornings, I got into the habit of exploring the areas around Central Station. Here I met people whose stories were similar to mine. With their help, I managed to find odd jobs whereby I earned a couple of hundred rupees every day. 

A year ago, I was asked to work in a restaurant. I had never done chopping and cooking professionally. I had to learn all that, on the job. Now I think I am good at it, but it took a lot of hard work and a few bruised fingers as well! I work for 15-16 hours daily. I haven’t had the chance to go back home. I want to save enough money to do so. When I go back, I want to take nice gifts for my family. I work hard and want to learn everything I can about this field. I want to start something of my own one day.