The People
Naveenchandra Chimanlal Solanki Naveen has been in Bombay for almost 13 years. His hometown is Balsara in Gujarat, where his parents and sister live. Naveen came to Bombay because he had difficulties in obtaining a job in his hometown. At that time his father was in Bombay. He perceived Bombay as a great city with great possibilities for him and made this move with high aspirations .. Life in his village was difficult and he wanted a better alternative. His first job was as a peon in a shoe factory. Now he works as an assistant to a machine operator at Hindustan Ferrodo and gets a salary of Rs.850/Naveen lives with his wife and two children. He has not sent his child to school because there is no school in Gujarati medium which he can afford. Naveen goes to visit his parents every two months. At this moment he has no intentions of settling down in Bombay. He says that if he finds a better job, he would leave Bombay. Naveen got the hut, where he is now staying through a friend. He had to pay a deposit of Rs.100/- with a rental of Rs.20/- per month ( He spent about Rs.400/- in improving it). Naveen wants a better job but does not have the necessary qualifications. He prefers life at his village to life in the city. No savings are possible as he sends money every month to his parents at home.
" A man who earns Rs.5/- a day cannot have a proper meal. How can one talk of developing or maintaining his surroundings ? His immediate concern is about managing to feed his family."
66