“After initial years of struggle, doing whatever little work came my way, I moved to Hyderabad from my hometown Kalvakurthy with a hope to lead a better life. I started pulling rickshaws at the age of 18. Things were different back then. The roads were not so congested and there were fewer cars and bikes. So people were dependent on us for moving from one place to another.

Since we pulled rickshaws in certain specific areas, we were very well acquainted and had a routine set of passengers. They knew us and we knew them. It’s a kind of mutual understanding between both of us. We also used to pick up goods and deliver them at their place sometimes, apart from carrying their children to and from school.

But now everything has changed! It could be the availability of motor vehicles, cabs, auto rickshaws, metro trains, and other means. That’s also one of the reasons why I have remodeled my rickshaw. Now I only transport goods to the customers. However, I am still struggling to find customers on most days. We were jobless for more than 8 momths during the last two lockdowns. The Government, to some extent have helped us but very little change has come into our lives. That’s okay. I have decided to go with the flow. I will continue to work until my last breath.”