Photo: Sanjay Sawant

Tell us your dreams for India

August 19, 2003

'India must pay more attention to its poor'

Life is tough for a dabbawala [one who delivers lunchboxes]. My day starts at 8 am when I collect the tiffins from customers' homes and ends at 8 pm after delivering them back.

I left Wadgaonmaval, a small village near Pune in south-west Maharashtra, five years back. Mom and dad are too old to work. We have a small farm, but rains are invariably poor.

I make Rs 2,000 a month. My wife, a housemaid, brings in another Rs 1,000. I spend Rs 1,000 on house rental and send Rs 1,000 home.

Life is so tough, it's difficult to think about the future. It would be great if I could own a house and start some small business.

I want to do a lot for this country... I always think if I can work so hard for myself and my family, why can't I do a thing or two for the country?

India must pay more attention to its poor. My village does not have a school. There is no electricity and no piped water supply.

If there were one thing I could change in this country, I would stop all this bloodshed in the name of religion.

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I am proud to be an Indian. I know the sacrifices that were made to gain Independence and how hard we have fought to retain it.

As told to Pankaj Upadhyaya

	'I want an India with no religious clashes'
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