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After a long legal battle with the city corporation for the land on which she is living, E is building a house with the help of her two sons. The legal problems stemmed from incomplete documents showing that her husband, who had passed away years before the controversy, had full ownership rights.
The elder son is a construction worker. The younger son is waiting to appear for his B.Com. exam next year which was postponed due to a fractured shoulder from a bike accident which prevented him taking them. Both are avid fans of the Brazilian football team. They were just finishing work for the day on the house and lacing up their football shoes when we arrived.
From running a canteen to making umbrellas Preethi has done many jobs as a single mother. She ran a small canteen with her friends from the neighbourhood network group for a few years before shutting it down when it became unprofitable. After that, she was making umbrellas at home for a short period of time and worked as laborer in a soda water making cottage industry nearby. When she found a more stable job in a hospital’s canteen in the city, she joined that and has been working there for two years now. She has also gained a reputation as a cook and serves food for almost all the celebrations in the neighborhood. She says she inherited the cooking genes from her father.
The house they are building is more than just a place to live for E. It is a symbol that after the struggles with officials, lack of family support and hard work of raising her sons, she is here to stay. She takes criticism that the house is too big for just her and her family with a smile.