Mr Ranjan Barai

I am Ranjan Barai. I work out of Kaligram in the Malda district. I stay with Debjit Ray Choudhuri in our village here. It is a quiet place in West Bengal, far from the big cities like Kolkata. Life here moves at its own pace. My setup is very basic. I have a small corner where I keep my things and do my daily tasks. We don’t have high-speed internet all the time, so things might take a bit longer than in the city. I do what I can with what I have. Most of the people I work with are from nearby villages or the local market. We talk in person mostly. I don’t have a company car or a big office. I use my bicycle to get around when I need to meet someone. Living in Kaligram, you get to know everyone. It is a community where people help each other out. I started doing this work because I wanted to stay in my village instead of moving away for a job. It is not always easy, especially during the monsoon when the roads get muddy. But we manage. I keep my records in a notebook and try to stay on top of what needs to be done each week. It is a simple life, and my work reflects that. No big claims, just honest effort. I hope to keep doing this for a long time.