”A week ago, my neighbor had a party to celebrate the birth of a son. I went there and ate chicken and rice. I don't even remember the day I bought and ate fish and meat myself.”
What you should know
I am burdened with family responsibilities. Life is going on, but it is in a state of flux. Even if I work hard and earn a living, my dreams and desires in life are not fulfilled. My dreams are not big either. I am dreaming of riding a new bicycle! I do not know when that dream will be fulfilled.
My address is Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality-11, Inarwa. There is a house on public land there too. My ancestors also spent their lives doing wage labor. I am also doing the same. I am making ends meet by working as a laborer.
I have to sleep on salt and rice for a month after buying clothes for my children. How many nights have I slept like that? I am 36 years old now. There are 6 people in my family, including my mother, father, wife, son and daughter. I got my two daughters married by borrowing. I had taken a loan of one lakh rupees to cover the expenses of my daughter's wedding. I have not been able to repay it yet. I have to pay an installment of 5 thousand rupees per month. For that, I have to set aside half the wages I earn by working. I earn 600 rupees per day by working. It is not said that I get work every day.
I have to sleep on salt and rice for a month after buying clothes for my children. How many nights have I slept like that? After spending a night like that, the next day when I go to work, my body shakes. I have not told anyone about this problem at home. I really want to eat sweet and savory foods and fish and meat. But, I am not in a position to buy and eat. A week ago, my neighbors had a party to celebrate the birth of my son. I went there and ate chicken meat and rice. I don't even remember the day I bought and ate fish and meat myself. Maybe a month has passed. If I buy and eat fish and meat, it will be difficult to pay the installments. I have had to endure stress many times without getting work.
A year ago, I reached Rajbiraj in search of work. Rajbiraj is 9/10 kilometers away from the village. I saw that I could not save money by always paying for car rental. If I had a bicycle, I could commute. I had always wanted to ride a bicycle. I was forced to buy an old bicycle for 1500 rupees to commute to Rajbiraj.
I have been riding the same bicycle for a year. I arrive here (Rajbiraj) by 9 am. The moneylenders here are also good. When I arrive here, they do not just return it. They use it for some work. I work here all day long. In the evening, I ride the same bicycle and return home. However, this bicycle is old and breaks down on the way. I have walked home for many days. However, on days when I am very tired after working, I do not feel like walking. I am forced to stay here that day. And I ask for shelter. Despite working hard for a month, I still couldn't afford to buy a new bicycle. Now, my dream and need of life has become a new bicycle.
Presented by: Vidyananda Ram
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