Occupation: Sells ducklings
I am sorry, have you been waiting long? I went to pick up some oranges to beat the heat. It doesn’t matter if I leave the ducklings unattended for brief periods. The makeshift net cage prevents them from wandering away. By the way, would you like to buy some ducklings? They are Rs. 100 a pair. I have around 170 ducklings in this makeshift pen. All of these ducklings are 20 days old and have been vaccinated. I feed them rice, wheat and the like.
I am from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, and have been leading a nomadic life for the past 10 years. I travel across South India with my ducklings. There are many takers for ducklings. While some rear them for the eggs, others rear them for the meat. Some of these ducklings are from my hometown. The others are from Andhra Pradesh. No, I don’t travel with the ducklings on foot. I arrange a mini-jeep to transport the ducklings from place to place. I was in Kozhikode two to three months ago and will be travelling to Ernakulam next. I stay in a place for a couple of months and travel when business gets dull or when I am bored. I arrived in the city a few weeks ago and will stay here for a few more.
Right now, I have set up shop on the Vellar stretch on the road to Kovalam, I might move spot in a few days. There are 11 others like me in the city right now. All of us are from Dharmapuri. Although we have set up shop in different parts of the city, all of us gather at a predestined spot for the night. We cook our meals together on a portable stove. See that tap over there? That is where I get water to drink and bathe. At night we make a tent out of tarpaulin and sleep underneath it. We lead hard and meagre lives.
My parents were both daily wage labourers who worked hard to make ends meet. I haven’t been to school and started helping out by doing odd jobs. My parents are now no more. My wife works as a daily wage labourer in Dharmapuri and looks after our two sons. I entered this business to earn a living. I try and go home once in a few months and spend a week with the family. I rest when I am at home. I watch TV, eat my wife’s home-cooked meals and catch up on my sleep. I am in my late forties. Both my children are in college. I want to see them become doctors and will work hard to see my dream come true.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
