Her feet are tired, she works all day long. This isn’t about just today, she has been working since the day she was born. At the age of 2, she migrated from Bihar in search of a home. She tried a few places before she could settle for long. She was a responsible daughter then, and she still is. Took care of her siblings because most of the time her mother was ill. She became a mother at a very early age without even giving birth to any child. Who is a mother? Is  it simply the  one who gives birth? Is it as simple as we define ‘love’?

In the family with their father and mother, there were four children. They were struggling for their living, especially for their butter and the bread. She decided to give up her studies, so she could financially support her family. She started looking for a job and the first one was in Uptron. She used to make picture tubes there. Since then, she kept working no matter how tired her body was. In between she got married, built her own house, got pregnant and gave birth to her own children. The only  thing that remained constant was her job. Even when the previous unit got shut she found another one. When everything was fine and going smoothly, she lost her husband. With the support of her mother, she stood on her feet once again. From then until now, she has been working in the same factory. Her work requires her to stand for long, so she keeps on standing during her working hours with her co-workers.  And by the time she reaches home her body gets tired. There is so much load that her feet carry. The cracks and the dust in them keeps on reminding me of this when she lies down on her bed. At night I observe them, they speak to me.