“People come to the Nampally exhibition to spend their leisure time, but for us, these lights are our livelihood.

We come here every year. We are originally from Rajasthan, but Hyderabad has become the place where we dream. My mother-in-law and I spend our evenings walking through the crowds with these glowing balloons. It’s a small business, but it’s ours.

There are good days and bad days. Some nights, the crowd is huge and everyone wants a balloon; other nights, we walk for hours and barely sell a few. But we’ve learned that if you let a bad day take away your smile, you’ve already lost.

Selling these ‘Love’ balloons always makes me smile because, in a way, they represent positivity. No matter how tired our feet get or how many times we have to explain the price, we stay happy. I look at my mother-in-law’s face and I see her strength. She’s the reason I keep going.

We aren’t just selling balloons; we are working for a better life. As long as we are together, we have hope.”