Excavator Operator

I'm based out of 05 Ashok Kant Chawl in Chakala. It's right near the Andheri-Kurla Road, which is always packed with cars and people. I spend most of my days inside the cabin of my machine. It gets really hot by noon, and the sweat just pours off you. Most people don't think about how much goes into digging a simple hole or clearing a site for a new building. My family has been staying here in this chawl for a long time. The noise from the traffic never really stops, but you get used to it after a while. I’ve been an operator for many years now. It’s very dusty work, and my clothes are always covered in grease. Sometimes the machine acts up and I have to crawl underneath to fix a leak right there in the mud. I don't have a big office with a secretary. Just this small spot where I keep my tools and take my phone calls. People call me at all hours of the day. I try to get out to the job site as early as I can to beat the worst of the sun. It’s hard on your body, sitting in that vibrating seat for ten hours. But it pays the rent and keeps things going for my kids. Andheri is changing every day. New towers are going up everywhere you look. I’ve probably dug the foundations for half the stuff nearby. It’s just me and my excavator.