11/07/2006

dignity of labour


hi friends! Love!
how do you do? Im taking up a topic relavant throughout the world, specially to India.
what do you think when you hear household work? more importantly how people react to the
word " servant"?

Though India ( BHARAT) can claim to have a GDP growth rate of above 8. Sending GSLV into
space, Nuclear energy from Thorium, expanding megalopolis, does it really respect Labour
specially done through hands directly without any modern gadgets. like Cooking in not so,
elite resturants ( Dhabas), a young child, working as a delivery boy from our colony;s grocer
and most important household helpers ( proudly called SERVANTS/naukar/naukarani).

The point Im coming to is the sheer lack of respect for any manualwork amongst Indians & Dignity
of labour. whether the the person who sweeps the road, or who collects garbage ( ineffect helping
our home clean) or toilet cleaners , specially in 2 nd classs wities & towns, a bit less in metros.

The scant respect shown by our Doctors at a prestigious medical institute by brooming the road
during a strike against the govt. of India's decision , shows their insentivity towards the basic
dignity or the lack of it, shown to their own staff who cleans the hospital & patients.

Recently a "crime" committed by a 10 yr old domestic servant ( she applied lipstick), which could
have been passed with laughter or may be mild admonish was excuse enough to beat her,
bound her, left to bleed to death. what RESPECT? to labour ,a CHILD and a future WOMEN.

This provoked me to think & write this. please share your thoughts. some sensitivity towards
our "Domestic Servant" (in another paralance , who needs to be domesticated/civilised
, as an animal would be) may emerge or may be a movemnet.

waiting for your humane replies
cheers!




1 comment:

  1. Anonymous8:41 am

    I think the doctors were making a valid point and certainly they were not aiming to insult manual labour,just emphasising that a sweeper cannot become a Doctor!
    And your take on domestic servants is all one sided.just highlighting one or two isolated incidents does not complete the picture.Domestic srvants in India are a obstinate,lazy lot and want a lot of money for shoddy work and tend to exploit their employers and are always dictating terms.

    ReplyDelete