From AI To Brooms: Who Is Mukesh Mandal, The Indian Engineer Now Earning ₹1 Lakh A Month Sweeping Streets In Russia?

Mukesh Mandal’s story reflects the harsh realities of the global tech slowdown. Once working with advanced tools such as AI systems, chatbots, and GPT-based platforms, the 26-year-old Indian software engineer is now sweeping streets in Russia to make ends meet. 

Amid widespread layoffs and shrinking opportunities in the tech sector, Mandal moved to St. Petersburg as part of a pilot programme addressing labour shortages, where he earns around ₹1 lakh a month as a municipal street cleaner, an unconventional choice that has sparked widespread attention online.

Why Is an Indian Software Engineer Cleaning Streets in Russia?

According to a report by Russian media outlet Fontanka, Mukesh Mandal is among 17 Indian migrants currently engaged in street-cleaning work in St. Petersburg. Mandal, who earlier worked as a software developer in India, said he has hands-on experience with advanced technologies such as AI systems, chatbots and GPT-based tools, though his past employment has not been independently verified. 

Speaking to Fontanka, “I’ve mostly worked at companies like Microsoft and used new tools like AI, chatbots, GPT and the like. Essentially, I’m a developer,” Mandal told Fontanka. As per the report, he arrived in St. Petersburg around four months ago along with 16 other Indian nationals as part of a pilot project to address the shortage of manual workers in the city.”

How Much Do Indian Street Cleaners Earn in Russia?

Reports suggest that the employer has taken care of all basic arrangements for the Indian workers, including housing, food, safety gear and daily transportation to their work locations. Keeping cultural sensitivities in mind, meal options that exclude beef have also been provided. In exchange, the workers earn close to 100,000 rubles per month, which is approximately ₹1–1.1 lakh.

The migrants involved in the programme come from diverse professional backgrounds. While some were previously farmers, drivers or small business owners, others had careers as architects, event managers and technicians. All of them, including Mukesh Mandal, are said to have taken up the work voluntarily. Speaking about his choice, Mandal said that for him, the nature of the job does not matter, adding that work—regardless of where it is done—is a responsibility that should be carried out with sincerity.

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