Which religion or caste do you belong to?
Muslim.
Are you married?
Yes, I’m married.
Do you have children?
I have one child.
How long have you been living in Delhi?
It’s been 10 years now.
With whom do you live in Delhi?
I live with my wife. Who else could it be?
I mean, when you first came to Delhi.
Yes, that was different. But now I am married. When I wasn’t married I used to live with my fellow workers.
Why did you come to Delhi?
To get some work, what else?
Did you have any family or friends in Delhi before you came here?
No. I had no one here.
Then how did you end up here? Tell us your story, please.
I came here with a friend of mine and learned how to work. If you’re going to a new place it’s better to have company. You wouldn’t want to come alone. I learned first and then I started working. And after that I’m still working right here.
What work do you do?
Currently I have a tailoring job.
For how long have you been doing this?
It must be around 8 years.
Whatever money you make out this, is it sufficient?
I somehow manage my family expenses with this.
Do you manage to send some money back home too?
I can manage a little bit, say, maybe four to five thousand rupees a month or so. Nothing more than that.
Had you ever done this kind of work before?
No, I had never done this work before.
What did you do before this?
I was at home before this. I was studying. After my education was done, I came here.
What have you studied?
[Grade] 5.
Could you tell me something about your work? How do you get your work done? How do you get your clients? And how do things work?
This, stitching work, is a female-dominated field, right? So, mostly, all these madams come to me with work and I do it for them. Once it’s ready, they take it. I don’t know much about anything else.
So, what thoughts go on in your mind while you’re working? Do you have anything specific?
Many thoughts run round my head.
Like?
Something like if I get this work done and get more work, I can earn a little more too.
What would be an interesting job or work in your life that you’d like to do?
I’d like to do something that would allow me to go back home. I’d like to go home and live a peaceful life at ease. Whatever little work I could get would help me get by. That’s it. For how long can one stay away from home?
How do you like life in Delhi?
I would say it is okay. But living with your family is any day better than living here like this.
If you get a chance to go back home, would you go?
Of course, I would go back home.
So, what are your plans? When will you leave?
I will leave someday. Maybe a few days from now. How long should I stay here?
You don’t like it here at all?
No, why would I like it here? As long as I have work, I’ll stay. If I stop getting any work, why would I stay here?
How many siblings do you have?
I have five sisters and three brothers.
Are you the eldest?
Yes, I am the eldest.
Are all of them married?
A couple of my sisters are yet to be married. So, there are a few weddings remaining.
So, what are the responsibilities from your sisters? Like, do you have to get them married?
Yes, there are weddings. I have a few other things to look after at home, too. There are a lot of responsibilities. I have to run the house, get everyone married as well. I have to look after my work, too. I have a lot to do, you see. It’s not easy.