A government notice warning against the distribution of kerosene was plastered onto the front door of R’s house where he lived with his wife, two sons, and his son’s family. With the government’s decision to cut back on kerosene in favour of more environment-friendly fuels, his job as a kerosene distributor had been badly affected. He was part of a group of more than 400 hundred kerosene dealers who wanted the government to help provide them an alternative means of employment in the wake of this decision. His older son worked as an emergency services driver while the younger one worked at a petrol station. The living room, where his son’s wife sat with her baby, led to a big kitchen cum dining area, beyond which lay a courtyard with some steps leading up. R's other grandson appeared to be a budding cricketer, and despite still being a schoolboy, his family was already eyeing a job for him. Most households in Gujarat do not give much importance to education and even if the family is in a financially secure position, they feel that their children are better off working and marrying rather than getting an education.
Home 56
Rajkot, Gujrat