Global Courant
What is your money worth? A series from the frontlines of the cost of living crisis, in which people hit hard share their monthly expenses
Name: Kali C
Age: 43
Occupation: snake catcher
Lives with: his wife Alamelu (38), a dog, four rabbits and a rescue mongoose. Their two daughters, Sindhu (22) and Sandya (21), stay with them during the holidays.
Lives in: A one-room house of 11 square meters in Chengalpettu, Tamil Nadu, about 50 km from Chennai in eastern India. The house has kitchen supplies on one side and a living area on the other that serves as a bedroom at night. They have an independent bathroom and a small guest room behind their house; their daughters stay here during visits.
Monthly Family Income: As a contract worker at the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society, Kali earns a basic salary of 19,000 rupees ($228.72) per month for seven months of the year.
He also receives about 4,800 rupees ($57.78) per month in commission payments (paid per snake captured) from the cooperative society, which extracts venom from the snakes.
During the snake breeding season (April to August), when the government bans snake catching, Kali takes odd jobs in farming and fishing, earning between 7,000 and 10,000 rupees ($84.27 to $120.38) a month. Kali’s wife contributes by weaving baskets for an additional income of a few hundred rupees.
Total expenses for the month: 22,800 rupees ($274). After repaying 8,700 rupees ($104.73) in loans, Kali spends about 14,100 rupees ($169.73) on his family’s living expenses.
