Diarist 22 is a mild-mannered rather retiring middle-aged man who runs a small laundry business, washing clothes at home and then ironing them in a very small rented booth in the market. They have a bit of land which he and his wife farm, and they rear cows. They have a married daughter and a son who almost fell out with his father during his adolescence but who is now working in Sripur, a town not far from our area. That relationship is still somewhat shaky (mid 2026).
Just before Covid struck, Diarist 22 received money from the sale of some inherited family land in India. This came as a surprise as he thought he had no title to the land, but a brother living in India arranged for him to get a share. It not only helped them survive Covid, but allowed them to rebuild their home during 2020 and early 2023. In 2022 his wife was found to have a tumour of the stomach: they spent money on medical fees and the son contributed largely to this. Diarist 22 spent generously on his son's marriage in 2023.
2024 was not such a good year: a cow he bought for rearing and on which he spent money for medication died and the carcass had no value. In 2025 his health declined somewhat but he continues to work.
His chart shows a somewhat unusual pattern of fairly frequent big monthly surpluses and shortfalls within a very steady underlying income and expenditure pattern.
