EMERGING FROM THE DARKEST PIT OF POVERTY

EMERGING FROM THE DARK PIT OF POVERTY

As I walked down the footpath of the Mysore bank streets of Bangalore, I caught a glimpse of a man wearing black hat and a striped shirt. He was standing beside widely spread blue jute bags, on which there lay several cardboard sheets. Out of genuine curiosity, I walked closer only to be surprised by the unusual business that was being carried out. He had created a job for himself. A job that was very interesting and equally helpful to many people. He was running a business of job applications.

Kishore, a 32-year old father of two children, tasted poverty three years ago. He ran a stationary store which brought him too less a profit, leaving his hands tied and unable to pay the rent, the shop was sealed closed. He dreaded the day his hands would come home empty, the day where he would be unable to feed his children and his wife. He realised that those days were not far. A bleak future was approaching him at a godly speed and he had to find a way to keep his family running. He tried his hands at various business only to be met with disappointment and helplessness. He knew he was running out of time and money, but what he didn't know was that he would stumble upon on an idea that would grab him by his hands and pull him out of the darkest pit of poverty he had found himself trapped in.

It was October 2017 when one of kishore's cousins was visiting him in Bangalore. His cousin was unemployed and had moved to Bangalore for a job hunt. Coming from a very remote village it was hard for kishore's cousin to apply for jobs online. He barely understood how to use a computer let alone find the websites and fill in the online applications. This was when the idea of starting a business, wherein he could profit by selling hard copies of job applications hit kishore's mind like Lightning.

“I never knew that mere applications of jobs I never dreamt of getting into, would earn me my living.” exclaims the 32-year old.

The very next day, kishore got copies of all the government job applications. He researched about the aspects of the respective job openings and understood how to check the availability of government jobs. He grabbed a few jute bags from his house as he walked onto the footpath with  printouts of applications in a box, spreading the jute bags on the stained grounds, that is where he started his business. Now, in September of 2018 kishore earns nearly 300 to 700 rupees a day. He moves around the locality, helping people who are unaware of the online world and in the process, helping himself.

So everyday morning on the Mysore bank streets, at 9am sharp, you'll see a man with black hat and a striped shirt. Standing infront of a number of cardboard sheets displaying a series of government job openings available. But beyond those lively eyes and wrinkled face, there lies a story. A story of the darkest pit of poverty.