I was 5 years old when my family relocated from the United States to India. I had a limited worldview at the time based on what I was seeing out of a car window. The contrast between my suburban New Jersey home and the chaotic, vibrant, but frequently unequal streets of Mumbai was extreme. As I matured, these things came into focus: shiny high-rises along with expansive slums, and the juxtaposition of privilege and precarity provoked in me an insistent inquiry - how are two fundamentally distinct standards of life able to live side by side?
I started “Workers of India” when I was 15 years old. I noticed that people that help and support us on a daily basis such as maids, cleaners, drivers etc. do not have job security. They work informally without any written agreements or protections. I also observed that they lack awareness of government schemes that are meant to help them. My goal is to help the people who help us.
“Workers of India” is based on a simple idea. Every worker deserves respect, especially those who help run our homes, communities, and cities. My goal is to support informal workers in India by giving them tools that show their work is important and should be protected.
I want to help workers sign up for the e-SHRAM card, understand government welfare programs, and create simple digital job agreements. These steps help workers move from being dependent to feeling respected, and from being ignored to being supported.
This is not just about paperwork. It is about giving workers more control and confidence. By making informal work more official, Workers of India hopes to build a future where every worker understands their value, knows their rights, and works with pride.
