'India must pay more attention to its poor'
Life is tough for a dabbawala [one who delivers lunchboxes]. My day starts at 8 am when I collect the tiffins from customers' homes and ends at 8 pm after delivering them back.
I left Wadgaonmaval, a small village near Pune in south-west Maharashtra, five years back. Mom and dad are too old to work. We have a small farm, but rains are invariably poor.
I make Rs 2,000 a month. My wife, a housemaid, brings in another Rs 1,000. I spend Rs 1,000 on house rental and send Rs 1,000 home.
Life is so tough, it's difficult to think about the future. It would be great if I could own a house and start some small business.
I want to do a lot for this country... I always think if I can work so hard for myself and my family, why can't I do a thing or two for the country?
India must pay more attention to its poor. My village does not have a school. There is no electricity and no piped water supply.
If there were one thing I could change in this country, I would stop all this bloodshed in the name of religion.
I am proud to be an Indian. I know the sacrifices that were made to gain Independence and how hard we have fought to retain it.
As told to Pankaj Upadhyaya
