“I moved to Hyderabad from my hometown Nalgonda at the age of 17. My father was a daily wager and also a farmer. Increasing debts drove me and my siblings to take up a job at a young age.

I had worked as a cycle rickshaw puller for a few years before taking up the auto-rickshaw. Gradually, after a couple of years of hard work, I was able to buy my auto-rickshaw.

Earlier, the public transport connectivity in the villages and suburbs was poor so we had an opportunity to serve the passengers and earn well. But nowadays, because of the availability of other digital services and mobility options, things have become tough for auto drivers who don’t depend on online applications. We get very few safaris because of the ongoing digital bookings and there are days where we hardly Rs.500 a day.

On fuel, we spend around Rs. 300-400 a day and our take-home amount are pretty less. We also need to deal with different kinds of passengers every day. However, I got used to the Hyderabad traffic.

I have two children. Both of them are working in private organisations currently. To be successful in any field, one should be honest with their approach and that’s what I have followed in my life. There were many instances where passengers had forgotten valuables in my auto but I have always returned their things.

One such instance was when an elderly couple left their wallet in my auto. It has around Rs. 30,000 cash in it. I knew it’s my two-month income but I had to be honest with my profession, so, I immediately returned their wallet to them.

I continued my service, being an auto driver for the last 40 years and thankfully, with the peoples support, we are able to make our ends meet.”