“I was married when I was a teenager and could not study much. Today, I run a roadside coconut stall near Blue Sea Hotel Road in Secunderabad, while my husband has been driving an auto for the past seven years. We came to Hyderabad about 20 years ago, hoping to build a better life. We started with whatever work we could find and slowly built our lives here.

Our roots are in Gajwel village, near Siddipet. We are farmers, and farming remains a part of our lives even today. We have an acre of land in our village, and every year, we go back during the farming season. Sometimes, we also cultivate farmland on lease to earn a little extra. Whether it is working in our fields or running our stall and driving an auto in Hyderabad, we have never been afraid of hard work.

But when it comes to our children, I want them to have opportunities that I did not.

My daughter is pursuing her graduation, and my son is in Class 12. On weekends, he comes to the stall and helps us, but I always tell him that his studies and sports should come first. I want both my children to study as far as they want, build good careers and choose the life they want.

We don’t have a house of our own yet, but we are saving towards one. That is another dream we are working on, slowly and steadily.

For me, seeing my children study, play and think about their future is already a big happiness.

I may not have studied much, but I know how important education is. I want my children to have the freedom to dream bigger and go further than I could.

That is what my husband and I are working towards every day. Life has had its ups and downs, but I have learnt that we should not be afraid to take a chance. Sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don’t. If something doesn’t work, we try again and keep moving forward. There is always another day and another opportunity.”

— Laxmi