Interview with Our Workers During Lockdown - Swami

  • by Maud
  • 2 min read
Where do you live?
I live in Dombivli, which is one of the suburbs of Mumbai. It takes me about an hour and a half to get to work.

Who do you live with?
I live with my wife and 21-year-old son who is a junior in college. He is studying for his Bachelor's Degree in Business. My wife works in the Accounting department for one of the major corporations in Mumbai.

What do you do on a daily basis?
The lockdown is very strict here so you cannot step out of the house other than to buy essentials. I still wake up at 5.30 in the morning which is my normal time. I drink a glass of hot water with lemon juice. I do yoga, breathing exercises (Pranayama), and as well as pushups and jumping jacks.

I've breakfast around 9.00 which consists of two chapattis and a vegetable. After breakfast, I help my wife with household chores. She has a sewing machine that she uses to make simple household items such as pillowcases, which we sell to people in the neighborhood.

In the evening, after dinner, we watch TV, usually on the Malayalam language channel. I'm originally from Kerala, so Malayalam is my mother tongue.

How do you experience the lockdown? What's the worst about it?
Of course, it's very difficult to pass the time, especially when you're so used to going out to work every day. The worst part is watching the news every day, which makes it even more stressful; so now we've cut down the time we watch TV, especially the news. We also have difficulty getting groceries. My favorite dish is fish curry, but fish is not available, we can only get vegetables.

Do you think daily life will change in the future?
Well, we need to get to work. I've to make sure that we can afford to pay for our son's education. My mother, who lives in Kerala, relies on me for sending her money every month, so that too is very important.

Which Tusk wallet do you carry?
The Leonardo Billfold