The Helmet Man From Odisha - Almost Rajasthani!
We were shooting near Kokapet, the dust and heat were unbearable. Under a neem tree stood this young man, his yellow helmet slightly tilted, orange t-shirt soaked with sweat. A construction helper from Odisha. I lifted my camera. He didn't shy away. He smiled. 'Photo?' he said.
In the next ten minutes, I learned more about migration than any news channel can teach. He has come here from Odisha with a big group - 15 people from his village. No education, no big degrees, but strong hands that can build our Banjara Hills villas and Kokapet towers. They live together in tin sheds, cook together, work together from 7 AM to 7 PM.
He was very happy to speak to me. Maybe in Hyderabad, nobody asks them where they are from.
He asked, 'Sir, aap kahan se ho?' I smiled. 'You guess.' He looked at my face carefully, my white hair, my Sindhi features. 'Aap Rajasthani lagte ho.' I laughed. 'You are partly right. I belong to the neighbourhood - Sindh.' His eyes lit up. 'Sindh! I was almost right!' He was so happy that he guessed almost right.
That small victory mattered to him. For a moment, he was not a labourer. He was a quiz winner. That is the moment I felt both happy and sad.
Happy - because despite his struggle, he had curiosity. He wanted to know where I belonged. He still had that childlike joy of guessing. Sad - because here is a young man with good health, good heart, good opportunity in his own state, but due to lack of education and awareness, he has to leave his family, travel 1000 km to Hyderabad, live in a dusty shed, and struggle throughout his life to build homes for others that he can never afford.
We complain about our auto fare from Himayatnagar to Banjara Hills. They travel from Odisha to Hyderabad with one bag.
Before leaving, he asked, 'Photo dikhao.' I showed him his portrait on my camera screen. He touched his yellow helmet and said, 'Mast aaya hai!' Yes, it has come out well. Because it is real.
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