Young women doing odd jobs to earn livelihood on the rise
Source: Chronicle News Service / Mission Oinam

Imphal, November 20 2022: There has been increasing number of teenage girls and young women, who are doing odd jobs to earn their livelihood and support their families, subsequently setting an example for the younger generations to develop work culture.

One such teenage girl is Tongbram Pakpi of Tera Lukram Leirak, who runs a fish centre while continuing her study after a gap of several years.

May 24, 2016 was not only the happiest day for Pakpi, who was only 15 years old then, but also a sad day for her when she passed the HSLC examination but could not see any future in which she could continue further study.

Being daughter of a single mother, Pakpi got the taste of being raised in a broken family when she was only 11 years old and as a result, she could not pursue further study after class 10.She had to toil hard to support her family of three.

After a gap of five years and opening a fish stall close to her house for over two years, Pakpi is not only resuming her further study but also running her fish stall successfully.

She is one of many teenage girls, who are coming out to earn their livelihoods in the society, living a life of hardships and at the same time setting an example in the society.

Like her, many teenage girls could be seen working in showrooms of vehicles, apparels, shops, petrol pumps, driving passenger auto-rickshaws and running fish or chicken centres among others.

Pakpi was born and raised up in Wakching Khullen also known as Govindagram, in the outskirt of Imphal West district.

Speaking to The People's Chronicle, Pakpi informed that she felt the harsh reality of life since childhood as she was born in a poor family.

Her father is a differently abled person and yet he used to work as a mason while her mother Khongbantabam Lairentombi sells fish to support their family.

Her parents got divorced in 2012 when her younger brother was only six months old.

After estrangement of her parents, she along with her mother and younger brother moved to Mayang Imphal where her mother raised them as a fish monger.

After a couple of years, they shifted to Tera Lukram Leirak and her mother continued her trade in Khwairamband Keithel while she runs a fish centre in front of their gate.

Her younger brother is studying in class 5 at Sainik Foundation School.

After passing the HLSC Examination in 2016 she had to stop further study due to her family's financial condition.

In 2019, when her mother ventured into importing fish from Moreh to Imphal, she opened Lairentombi Fish Centre taking her mother's name in front of their residential gate.

After a couple of years, she resumed her study in 2021 with the hope of completing graduation.

She is now studying in class 12 at Mekola Gulap Higher Secondary School, she said.

Pakpi said that three of her classmates also joined her fish centre for some time but they left when they reached class 12 .

After that, two teen aged girls from Kakching and Lamlai joined her fish centre but they left after a few months.

Now, she is running her fish centre alone.

As she is studying in class 12, she needs to devote her time in her study.

Her teachers asked her to stay in the school boarding but she declined.

In order to balance study and trade, she is now opening her fish centre from 5 am to 7.30 am, and 3.30 pm to 8 pm.

As she is facing difficulties in navigating her time between the fish centre and her study, some even projected her fish stall as a cheap stunt to get viral on social media instead of encouraging her efforts, said an emotional Pakpi.

Despite such negative comments, she also gets words of praise from many, who understand her efforts and hardships and such compliments encourage her to continue her endeavour.

She will open the fish centre regularly after completing class 12, Pakpi said.

She also conveyed that any teenage girl can join her fish centre if they are interested and by doing so, she could open the fish centre regularly.

Though many men ask for joining her fish centre but girls interested in such job is rare.

The main reason is embarrassment of doing such odd and messy jobs.

However, she does not feel embarrassed by her work as there is nothing wrong or socially unacceptable, she remarked.

She further informed that she used to get regular order for cooked fish when she was opening the fish centre regularly due to which she could get good profit but she had lost many of those contacts today.

On the other hand, 23-year-old Nongthombam Tomthinnganbi is a young woman, who is helping her family after completing graduation.

She is the lone child of Nongthombam Ramesh and Memcha of Tera Loukrakpam Leikai.

Her father runs a bicycle repairing shop and mother small-time tailor.

Due to her family's financial condition, she joined Food Wi-Fi as delivery agent after she enrolled for graduation.

Around 10 months later, she left the job and worked at Thangapat Restaurant, Sagolband Thangapat for some months.

She is now working as a saleswoman at Haowe Bakery, Sega Road Thouda Bhabok Leikai.

Tomthinnganbi told The People's Chronicle that she used to earn a minimum of Rs 15,000 when she was a delivery agent at Food Wi-Fi.

Most of the customers also encouraged her for doing such odd job and some of them even took selfie with her.

At times, she also gets scolding from rude customers for belated delivery by a few minutes accusing her of not bringing fresh foods.

She endured such criticism as part of the job.

Sometimes, she had to work till 7 or 8 pm when they get late orders, due to which she had to leave the job, she disclosed.

Tomthinnganbi has now completed graduation in History and she is no longer interested in completing Master's course due to her family's financial position.

She gets Rs 5,600 per month from her current job as saleswoman at Haowe Bakery.

She is getting some free time now and helps her mother in her tailoring work, she confided.

Comment