When I first met Anil, I asked what his occupation was. He said he was an all-rounder, and that he can do any work. I wanted to learn more, but he was in a hurry, and told me he could come to his house the following morning.
Anil lives in a 100-square foot room on the terrace of a building in Chennai. There are no windows, and the roof is made of a metal sheet that lets the summer heat in. He lives with his wife, his cousin and two small children. It is 9 am on a Sunday morning, and the children are restless in the heat.
Anil is from Nepal, and he has been in Chennai for over six years.
Anil's cousin, Go Bahadur sits next to him. When asked about their experience working in Chennai Go Bahadur says, “the only problem is that we get paid less than local workers, and we are made to work more than them.”
Anil says, “my experience has been different. wherever I work, I have been paid more than what I expected. I go to work at a place only if the employer respects me.”
