(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) It is 11:30 in the night. A.J has only cleaned five cars so far. He is still pending with 15 others. Though he takes no break during his work, he won't finish before 5 o'clock in the morning.
Soaking his scrub every few minutes and rubbing every possible edge of a Pajero, A.J sweats profusely. Engrossed in his work, he is hardly visible in the darkness of the night between the cars. The only thing A.J does between his work is to check the date on his phone when he will be a father. He is anxious he might miss the date. "My wife is expecting our first child. See this is the date when my child will be born," he says while pointing out to the calendar in his phone. " I keep this date marked on my phone so that I don't forget. I am really excited and worried." Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, India, A.J was working as a driver before he came to Dubai five months back. He wanted to do the same job but somehow landed up in car cleaning work. His wife lives with his parents and sister. "My family does not know I am doing this work. They think I am a driver." The family of 20-year- old M.A too doesn't know what work he does in Dubai. He has been working as car cleaner for over a year. He cleans 20-25 cars per shift. Sometimes the number exceeds. "I have passed 12 th class and had wanted to do some good job here. I have spoken to many people but till now nothing has come. So I am doing car cleaning." " If I offer Taraweeh prayers then I cannot finish my work till 4:30 in the morning. I start at around 5 o'clock in the evening." M.A earns not more than Dh1700 per month and lives with eight other people in a shared accommodation. He is trying to save some money to go back home and start his own small business." I want to be with my parents now. There is no one to take care of them." When asked as to how he spends his leisure time, he says, "I avoid going out too much. It costs money. I have few friends who live near my place. We just sit for a chat sometimes." He however admits that while cleaning so many luxury cars, he sometimes dreams to have his own. Even as his earning of Dh1500 is insufficient to feed his family of six, 36- year-old R.K has managed to send his two children to school in India. "I am amongst few people in my village in Kerela who are able to send children to school, though it's very hard with less income." The thought of his children growing up to become officers keep him going through the 12 hour long work of car cleaning. He says he misses his family and children every day. " It is difficult to live away from the family. But I have to work for support my family and for better future of my children," R.K adds.
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