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Home News India 56 Monu Singh, 19 Sweeper, deputy prime minister's office, North Block |
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August 20, 2003 'The poor don't nurture dreams' I have been sweeping the first floor of the ministry of home affairs for the last two years. I got a huge increment of Rs 200 so I switched jobs. I live in a notorious area. Our locality is such that people shed blood even over children's fights. I started doing cleaning jobs at 13. Since then I have been a sweeper. I will remain a sweeper for the rest of my life. I don't have a permanent job and don't have any chance to get one. I can't write and can just about read Hindi with much difficulty. How can I have a future? In India only literate people have a future. Life is alright. I work hard, earn, eat and sleep. What else do you want? Here in North Block, I am a temporary sweeper. My security pass is renewed every month. In many shifts, I clean Advaniji's lobby and offices around his room. When we see him we say namaste. He responds, but security guards never allow us to speak to him. His room has a carpet that is cleaned by the permanent staff. Temps are not allowed into his room. I have heard about 15th August. It's a festival, right? I don't know even what's good about India. I like my friends. That's all. I have inscribed my friend Salman's name on my wrist, he was my best buddy. Tragedy struck when he died in a road accident.
As told to Sheela Bhatt
(When Monu was talking to rediff.com, a clerk overheard him. He yelled at him for wasting time. Monu could risk anything but his job. He ran away without allowing photographer Sondeep Shankar to shoot his picture.)
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