Occupation: Door-to-door fish vendor
I have been earning since the age of eight when my mother forced me to stay with a family who wanted someone to keep an eye on their baby. That was the time my schooling stopped. Looking back, I cannot blame my mother. We were 11 siblings and my father, a daily wages labourer, was not able to provide for all of us. It was not a childhood to remember. I missed the comfort of a family and a stable home.
By the time I was 17, I was married. That too did not give me the security or peace I had yearned for. My husband, Mohanan, was a spendthrift and he had all kinds of bad habits. Eventually, he left me for another woman. He sold the small plot and home that my father had given me. When my youngest son was a few days old, I began working in a tea stall, cleaning the vessels, cutting vegetables and so on. The only advantage was that they permitted me to take my small kids along.
I did not want work as a domestic help as the hours were long and there was no one to help me with the children. I did not want to leave my three children alone at home.
After trying various kinds of work, I decided to buy some fish and try selling that. I bought a bucket and some fish and went door to door selling that. For the last 20 years I have been selling fish and seafood such as prawns and squid. Since I stay near Vattiyoorkavu, I have to get the bus at 5 a.m. to reach East Fort. Then I hire an auto to go to Kumarichanda. I know the needs of my customers and so buy the fish accordingly.
However, the proliferation of flats has not been good for my livelihood. Some residents have stopped us from entering the premises. I lost a few customers like that. It is a pity because we not only supply fresh fish, we also clean it for our customers. Since vendors like me don’t have refrigerators, the fish that we sell is fresh catch. Now, since there is a trawling ban, fish has become expensive. Even then there are households that buy fish almost every day. I make enough to make a living. In fact, I managed to buy two cents and build a small house. That is where I stay after the death of my husband and youngest son. Life is hard but there is no point lamenting over the past. One has to live. I have four grandchildren and I hope life will be kinder to them.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram that it is)
