Anonimo
The Month I Worked Without Salary And Had Only…
The Month I Worked Without Salary And Had Only 340 Rupees Left
I have never told this story to anyone properly because it feels embarrassing to say that you worked for 22 days full day and got zero money. It was tournament time in school. My duty was not teaching, it was full management. Morning 7 AM to evening 5 PM. Making lists, printing lists, calling parents who were not picking up, handling kids who were fighting in the ground, bringing water bottles, holding the mic when mic stopped working, standing in the sun whole day.
Ma'am had said on first day very clearly - "Payment 15th ko ho jayega, don't worry." So I was relaxed. I had to pay my room rent in Shimla, 3500. I thought okay, 15th ko aa jayega.
On 15th, I messaged in the morning - "Good morning Ma'am, payment kebaare mein puchna tha." She replied at night - "Next week ho jayega." Next week I waited till Wednesday, then messaged again - "Ma'am any update?" She said "Accounts department se baat karo." So I called accounts sir, he said "Ye Ma'am hi batayengi, mujhe kuch nahi pata."I had only 340 rupees left in my PhonePe. I remember that number exactly because I checked it 10 times a day. The room owner was asking daily Madam rent kab dogi?" I said "2 din mein de dungi." But I had no money.
I stopped going out with friends. One day my friend said "Chal chai peete hain, 20 rupaye ki hi hai." I said "Merafast hai aaj." But actually I didn't have 20 rupees for chai. I was eating only one time Maggi in a day because I didn't want to ask money from home. I am 24 years old, how can I tell papa that I am working full day but I have no money to eat?
One day I went to buy a notebook. I swiped my card and it declined. The shopkeeper looked at me strangely. I said "Network issue hai" and came out quickly. I sat on a bench outside and I just felt like crying there only.
After exactly one month and 3 days, on 18th of next month, at 7:42 PM, I was standing near the bus stand in Shimla. My phone vibrated. Message came - Your account has been credited with Rs. 8000." I just stared at that message for 2 minutes. I didn't feel happy, I felt angry and tired.
That one month taught me one thing very clearly. For office people, your salary is just a file, just a number they can delay. But for you, that 8000 rupees is your rent, your food, your whole life for that month.
When your employer delays your salary, do you
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That month carves a very specific kind of quiet exhaustion into your bones. You wake up every day, pour the exact same amount of sweat, focus, and hours into a screen, but at the end of it, the ledger doesn't change. It’s a strange, hollow kind of burnout—not just from the work itself, but from the silent indignity of watching your time and energy treated like a free resource. You start questioning your worth, wondering if you're being exploited, and fighting a daily war between walking away and holding on just to prove something to yourself. It leaves a scar, but it also teaches you a fierce, non-negotiable lesson about the actual price of your labor.