“I’ve never held a schoolbook in my life. But I work every day so my daughter can choose her own future.

I’m a farmer from a small village called Akkalchedu in Chennaraopet Mandal of Warangal Rural district. My day starts at 4 a.m. My wife and I begin our chores before sunrise — checking the farm, feeding the buffaloes. There’s always work. No shifts. No fixed hours. But I’ve never wished for another life.

By 5:30, I’m in the fields. I enjoy the work. I didn’t get the chance to study, but I made sure my daughter did. She’s 19 now, in college, and representing our district in Kabaddi and Kho Kho. We couldn’t afford coaching or proper gear, but she kept going — all heart, no shortcuts.

Some say she should focus more on household skills, but we see things differently. My wife teaches her how to cook — not to prepare her for marriage, but so she can take care of herself. Cooking isn’t a woman’s duty. It’s a basic life skill.

Every time I watch her play, my eyes well up. I may not have given her everything, but I’ve stood by her dreams. That’s what matters.”

• Gugulothu Bhadru, Farmer