Bhaskar Reddy , 49, is a mason. He and his wife sustain their livelihood from daily wages earned from construction. The mason from Ganjam tells The Telegraph how Prime Minister Modi's demonetisation move has impacted his life and his hope that it will ultimately benefit poor people like him.

I am poor and illiterate. I still can't understand why the government scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. Since the day it was declared that these notes have ceased to be legal tender, our livelihood has been badly hit. I have no idea how long these problems will continue.

I came to Bhubaneswar from Ganjam district when I was just 17. It was in 1984. I had come to Bhubaneswar along with a few of my friends. At that time, it was a small city.

After I reached Bhubaneswar, I stayed at my relative's house near the Bhubaneswar railway station. Later, I moved to Salia Sahi near Indradhanu Market where more than 1 lakh people now live. At that time, there was a short supply of labourers to the city. I used to go to my village in Ganjam every weekend by train. I still do.

With the expanding of the city, the demand for work increased. A large number of people from my area and other parts of the state have come to the city. After my marriage in 1997, I settled in Salia Sahi.

My wife is also a labourer. She goes to work with me every day. Sometimes, we go to different places for work.

On November 7, one Das babu from Nayapalli approached us for repairs at his house. The repairs were completed around 6.30pm. Das babu had paid us Rs 550 and Rs 350 for masonry and labour wage, respectively. He gave us a Rs 500 note and the rest in Rs 100 notes.

On the way home, we bought dal, rice, palmoline oil and other essential items for our home. My 12-year-old daughter asked me to buy a sweater for her as the winter has set in. We had spent Rs 400 and had only Rs 500 left with us. As usual, my wife argued with me over the expenses made and we went to sleep.

We both got up early in the morning. After offering our respects to our local deity Budhi Thakurani we proceeded to the labour market, in search of work. Another day had begun and we were ready for another round of hard work and struggle.

The moment we reached there, I was taken aback to find out that the Rs 500 note had been scrapped. My wife felt dizzy and I made her sit under a banyan tree at Indradhanu market. She sat there, perhaps thinking about the fate of the Rs 500 notes we had. There was a lot of confusion.

We did not get any work that day and returned home disappointed. The next five days, both of us did not get any work. But soon, I was told that the poor would be benefited by the government's step. Yesterday, I got work at last, but my wife did not.

Frankly, although I suffered a lot, I am happy from what I get to hear from the discussions at the labour market. They say it's a step towards achchhe din (better days) and I, too, will benefit from the move. This hope sustains me.