Hyderabad: Teacher turns into a vegetable vendor

Hyderabad: Till three months ago, it was all well in the life of Bellamkonda Uppender. A teacher's profession not only earned respect but also helped him eke out a living.

However, all his dreams were about to shatter, with the outbreak of Coronavirus and the stringent lockdown conditions induced by it.

Soon, with the advent of lockdown started a series of troubles for the teacher who was until then teaching Maths at a high school in Yousufguda.

With just a basic pay and devoid of any other means to sustain his family of four including two daughters, he ended up as a vegetable vendor in Rahamath Nagar daily market. The private school management refused to pay salaries for the lockdown duration and summer holidays that followed closely.

Having no other option, as if proving that desperate times call for desperate measures, teacher hit upon the idea of selling vegetables on a pushcart at roadside in Yousufguda. He has been into the new profession for two months.

Son of a farmer couple from Hanumakonda, and took to teaching a few years ago in Warangal and a year back relocated to Hyderabad. He had since been working Master Minds High School.

Till the end of march he was running his family with a basic amount and he choose to sell vegetables when he understood the salary is not so sufficient for his monthly expenses.

Not bothering about what the society thinks of him, Upender, 34, says, "I don't find anything wrong in selling vegetables after being a teacher.

A few of my colleagues were surprised by my move but I can say one thing to all of them: without education we can live, but we can't live without food.

I am also helping people in times of corona by selling vegetables," said B Uppender, 34 years old. "I believe real men are those who are right at heart and ready to take up any challenges that come their way," added the vendor.

He believes there is a problem with the education system. The managements of several schools still prefer to pay basic salary to teachers.

A large number of schoolteachers lose two months of salary every summer and the managements just would not about the difficulties of their staff in summer. "This utterly disappoints me," says Upender.

However, he says he is lucky to be born in a farmer family. His father B Sheshaiah is a farmer in Hanamkonda; most of relatives are involved in farming.

He gets vegetables from them and sells here for profits which helps me save some amount for his daughters' education. He gets different types of vegetables according to season and exchanges a few with others as well, as per market demand.

He says he is contented in his new profession as he had been before. "A real man is one who acts responsibly towards his family and I am delivering my duties wholeheartedly," he signed off thus.