I wrote a story called “Ramdas” in my village about my friend who drowned in a river. Later, I moved to Amravati, completed my matriculation and worked at a mill. It shut down in 1975, and I returned to my village to work as a farmer. But I wanted more, so I borrowed forty rupees from my father and fled to Bhopal.

The money ran out soon, so I worked as a labourer in Bhopal. I saved 90 rupees, moved to Delhi, cleaned hotels, and also worked as a labourer. In 1977, I started a business selling paan, beedi, and cigarettes for fourteen years. Then, I sold tea for the next twenty-five years, as there were too many restrictions on cigarettes and tobacco. People used to come to drink tea from faraway places. I knew what people wanted, and I served it to them – in a cup of tea.