I am 50 years old. For the past 15 years, I have been a security guard. I am a native of Madurai but I went off to Kodaikanal in my youth. For over two decades I was doing errand jobs in the hill station. It was when I lost my wife, I decided to come back to Madurai and take up a permanent job that would give me a regular income. I joined a security firm in 1998 and till now I have worked in all kinds of industries and companies including banks, atms, private companies, media houses and hospitals.
The job of a security guard is not easy. It requires us to be vigilant round the clock. Since I am not an ex-serviceman, I was chosen as a civil guard only. My job is to guard civil buildings and offices apart from which I also look into house-keeping, collecting mails at the gate, maintaining a registry of the people entering and leaving the premises and administering first aid in case of any emergency. We are imparted a training for the first fifteen days where we are taught disaster management. As a guard, I try my best to keep everyone happy. When I salute people, they feel very happy.
I take home a monthly salary of Rs. 8000. It hardly meets my requirements which include the rent for the house on North Masi Street, where I live. I married off my elder daughter to a mason in Rajapalayam and I am saving for the marriage of my younger daughter, who is currently working in a private company for a salary of Rs. 8000. Though, I struggle to make both ends meet, I enjoy my job. It has given me a sense of responsibility and people respect me.
(A fortnightly column on men and women who make Madurai what it is)
