“What happens when I can’t clean anymore?”
Shanta (name changed), aged 43, lives in the Navalur Resettlement Tenement in Kancheepuram district. A domestic worker for 25 years, she is the sole breadwinner for her two children — one in college, the other in school.
Her day begins at 4:30 AM — washing, cooking, and cleaning in three households before noon. She earns ₹11,000 a month. She juggles rent, school fees, groceries, and loan repayments.
After being evicted from her slum, her new locality lacks basic transport — making it harder to find work. After decades of labour, she has no savings, no security, and no pension.
Like Shanta, many are overworked and underpaid; sole providers for their families; burdened by informal debts from medical emergencies; and worried about a future where the body can no longer keep up.