Bengaluru, 8 March

“Rain or heat, nothing matters to us, we have to keep working,” says Amalu, a pourakarmika (civic worker) in Bengaluru. Hailing from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, this 48-year-old woman has dedicated 24 years of her life to serving the City.

Amalu is married to a BBMP worker and they have three children — two sons and a daughter. “Despite our poverty, we made sure our kids are educated. We took loans for it but I do not regret it. My eldest son has completed LLB, my youngest son is a software engineer and my daughter has a double degree and is now married,” Amalu said.

Though her children are doing well, Amalu is working hard to not depend on anyone, earning about `24,000 per month. “Other pourakarmikas and I would be happy if our jobs were made permanent,” she said. Amalu has no complaints about life whatsoever. About Women’s Day, Amalu said more job opportunities should be created for women so that they are not dependent on  anyone.