I was born in a village in Bangladesh and studied only up to Class 5. I was married at 16 to a labourer, and we had a daughter.
In 2009, a cyclone flooded our land with salt water. My husband fell ill and died in 2012, and I was left with debts and a young daughter.
In 2013, I left my daughter with my sister and travelled to Mumbai because I heard women could find cooking work there. The first year was very hard. I did not know the language, and I shared a small room with four other women.
But slowly things got better. I found work. Now I cook in three homes and earn about ₹14,000 a month. I send most of it to my daughter.
There is no pension, and if I am sick I am not paid. So every month I put a little into a savings group with other Bengali women. They are like my family here. I want to work a few more years, and then go home.