Rajesh Kumar
“They see my hard hat and think 'laborer.' They don't see the poetry I write at night, or the temple I help build with my own hands.”
Meet Rajesh. He's 35 and has worked Singapore's building sites for 12 years, on the job by 6am, laying the MRT line that will carry thousands of strangers. He's from Tamil Nadu — Tamil, Hindi, and basic English — and at lunch he sits with the other South Asian workers, Bangladeshis, Indians, Sri Lankans, food and stories going round. After work he writes poetry in Tamil, the way his grandfather taught him, and he's twice won the contest back in his home village. Weekends, he helps with festivals at the Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown. He's building the trains and hospitals and homes a whole city takes for granted, and to him every structure is a poem in concrete and steel.
- Years in Singapore
- 12 years
- Work
- Building MRT infrastructure
- Languages
- Tamil, Hindi, basic English
- Passion
- Tamil poetry
“Construction workers are unskilled laborers without intellectual or artistic depth.”
Singapore relies on hundreds of thousands of migrant workers across its construction, marine, and process sectors — about 480,000 Work Permit holders as of late 2025 — many skilled tradespeople, and some trained engineers, artists, and professionals in their home countries. They build the infrastructure that makes Singapore function — MRT lines, hospitals, HDB flats. Many have university degrees. They write poetry, paint, sing, and create art. The work they do requires precision, engineering knowledge, and physical skill that most people cannot perform.
SourceMinistry of Manpower Singapore — Foreign Workforce Numbers (Work Permit holders, Construction/Marine/Process).
When you see a construction worker, do you assume they're not educated or artistic?
That's a common assumption. But Rajesh's story reminds us that every worker is a whole person — with a family, an inner life, and dignity that never depended on being extraordinary in the first place.
Good. Now ask yourself: how many people do you underestimate based on their job? What talents are you not seeing?
Rajesh builds the infrastructure of a city while writing poetry at night. He sees his construction work as 'poetry in concrete and steel.' Where do you find beauty in your daily work — even if others don't see it?
You do not need to answer. Notice what feels familiar, what remains unfamiliar, and where your own experience differs.
Understanding does not require agreement. Sometimes paying closer attention is enough for today.
Thank someone who builds our city
Today, thank a construction worker, cleaner, or delivery person. Say 'thank you for your work.' See the person behind the labor.
Note an act of kindness — today’s or your own. This stays on your device only; nothing is uploaded or counted publicly.