“In more than 60 years of my life, I have learnt that nothing is permanent. There are going to be ups and downs but it’s about how you want to look at it and where you want to stop. When I participated in the Telangana agitations a few years after independence, most of my classmates and I couldn’t continue studying. It was rather disturbing and we were fighting for a cause we believed in. I didn’t receive formal education after grade 12. I could’ve chosen not to think about the future and while away time. But my father always told me to use whatever skills I had to earn a living. I started helping him in his cycle repair shop. Impressed by my work, he sent me to Mumbai to learn motorcycle mechanics. The few years in Mumbai opened my eyes. I had to survive by myself and nobody would bother to help. It wasn’t the fault of the people, as life in that city is a race. If you want your next meal, you better get going – that’s what I learnt from “The City of Dreams”.

When I came back home to my small village, I opened a garage in my father’s shop. Everything seemed perfect, when one fine day, our shop was destructed because the municipality was widening the roads. Suddenly, life was at a standstill. I had to either buck up or get out of the race. I chose the former and look where that has brought me! I started a service centre for cameras and that led me to meeting the legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who awarded my team and me for repairing more than 100 cameras in a day. I did not just set a record, but also met a wonderful sports icon like him. Everything I did was to secure the future of my family; And it paid off! Today, I’m proud of where I am and I’m even more proud of all my struggles. They’ve taught me that nothing worth having comes easy. But after a long night, when the sun shines on you… It’s all worth it.”

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