Phulender Thakur arrived in Telangana with no certainty. In his mid 40s now, he left Madhepura in Bihar for a grape farm in Medchal Malkajgiri district, drawn south by an elder brother already working there. The vines were heavy then, grape cultivation was spread across large tracts and labour was plentiful. Phulender learnt fast, and the farm soon became familiar ground.
The scene, however, changed gradually. Acreage under grapes shrank, fields thinned out and many growers exited. But Thakur stood firm, his skills outlasting the crop’s declining demand. Today, he heads a group of workers at a grape farm in Muduchinthalapally, with three of his brothers employed alongside him. Word has travelled back home too; youngsters from Bihar now call him for work references, hoping for a foothold in Telangana’s farms.
