KHAMMAM: A 33-year-old tribal man who had been working as an assistant professor in a private engineering college in Hyderabad lost his job on account of the lockdown and has been working as a bike mechanic in Madhira town of Khammam since then.
Vamkudoth Ravinder, a resident of Banjara Colony, completed his BTech in Palvoncha and MTech (Mechanical) from Swarna Bharathi Engineering College in Khammam. After working for one year at a private college in Madhira, he shifted to Hyderabad three-and-a-half years ago and joined as an assistant professor for Rs 24,000 per month. His wife, Bulli, is also a MTech graducate. They have two daughters aged seven and four.
During lockdown, the college management allegedly asked him to leave as they were unable to pay salaries to their employees. Unable to survive in Hyderabad, Ravinder shifted his family to his native place in Madhira in March. His parents, Veeru and Chavali, are daily wage labourers. They have no property or land, except a two-room house in the town.
After returning to his hometown, Ravinder had tried to find a job for many days, but could not succeed. As he had a Mechanical Engineering background, he was eventually able to find a job in a small bike repair workshop and is now earning Rs 200 per day to support his family.
However, his wife is still unable to find a job. Speaking to Express, Ravinder said, "I had dreamed of being a professor for a long time, but the lockdown turned my life upside down." He also said that there was no respect for the teaching profession nowadays as managements had no regard for their concern. He appealed to the government to provide a suitable job for him and his wife.