In a caste-ridden society like India where the occupation of a person often determines his caste,, one man stands contrary to this notion.
Naganath Kuber (52), a tonga owner, is proud of taking an occupation which is not accepted by the members of his community, Brahmins.
“I have not come across people of the Brahmin community riding tongas for a living. But it is a matter of pride for me to do such a job,” he said.
One of the reasons why he stands different among other tonga owners of Vijayapura city is that almost every tonga owner here belongs to the Muslim community.
Mr. Kuber, a native of Muttag village of Basavanabagewadi taluk, said that extreme poverty and absence of educational qualification forced him to do this job for a living.
“At the age of 17, I came to Vijayapura in search of a job. I met a local tonga owner Dadapeer Takkalaki, who offered me the job on daily wage basis,” he said.
He said that in 1984, he bought his own cart and since then he has been earning a decent living. “Today, I earn around Rs. 400 a day and I am happy with it,” he said.
He, however, admitted candidly that initially, he was carrying a fear of stigma as Brahmins generally don’t take up this job.
“Gradually that fear was replaced by a kind of strange pride of doing a different job. Today, I am grateful to God for giving me an opportunity to do this job,” Mr. Kuber said.
He has two sons who are working in private agencies and a daughter who has completed PU. Mr. Kuber says that no job is cheap if it is done with honesty. “On the contrary, I am proud of this job as it has given me a life, helped me marry and raise my three children and also construct a small house of my own”, he said.
He says that he will keep doing it till his health permits him.
