புதன், ஜனவரி 04, 2012

Midnight conversation with corporaton workers...

After a decent dinner at a roadside petty shop in the city that never sleeps, me and a friend of mine walked back to waiting area for mofussil bus. It was around midnight 11ish. What we witnessed on our way was not very shocking but irking. Yes, there parked a big smoky garbage truck in the middle of bus-stand filling the area with its stinking smell... adding to irksome two corporation works with no protection (unprotected hand, mouth, leg) gathering the garbage that was very safely spilled over by responsible citizens right in the middle of bus-stand. They were using bare hands to collect, gather, lift and dump garbage baskets. Not that we are foreigners to be surprised but having seen foreign countries, it was not okay for us to let them mind their own "family" business... so we did not mind our own "selfish" business and said "vannakkam-ne" (hi) to them.

"Vannakkam-sir", they said.

No bullshitting or beating around that garbage pile...I asked the question straight.

"Were you not given any protection gear to use when you deal with such infectious garbage?"

"We are used to it, sir, you don't worry", said the elder man (without realizing two wanna-be social reformers standing right there to change to fate overnight. :-)

"But wait, I asked, what would happen when you go back to your family with this virus and bacteria. Won't this affect your children? Are you not worried...?".

"It's our fate sir, what can we do..? We neither we studied nor scored good scores..."

I said "well, you don't have to have a good education to do this job. All you need to be is strong enough which you already are. You are fully qualified to do this job. All you need to know is how to demand what you need to perform this job well...such as tools, techniques, process, benefits, fitness-support;healthcare, etc...".

He did not seem to have understood all what I said but he got something at least....i.e the benefit part

He replied, "They are not even paying us on time, Sir. Where can we ask for all those. These things would never change here, sir".

I was bit upset on his ignorant and given-up answer. Also it's true that our educated and empowered men are not manly enough to face and solve these local problems. Including me, we are happy and proud to do lip-services to western world.

I said "well, everything will change if you use that shovel right..."

He asked "how, sir..?".

I replied "shove it right up there in that person who does not provide you with or denies all you rightfully deserve...."

Now the younger man Mr. X spoke finally but firmly. Holding his shovel firmly he asked us "show me that one person in the government, sir..."

We blinked. We had no answer for him. Yes, it's true in goverment it's hard to point out the responsible individual who can fix it right now or later but sooner.... Not only many in goverment are irresponsible and only self-centered but when you deep dive everyone points you to the system so called "goverment" (bunch of forms and worms of no use) which is massive, invisible and void like open space... Sometimes, one tends to think, perhaps dictatorship is better because Mr. X would have at least known whose mouth it is that he should shove his shovel into...

Having no answer we were standing quiet. He was still expecting an answer from us. None of us knew who it could be... the Collector, the Corporation Director, the MLA, the MP, the CM, the PM or the President....who is it?

Having no answer we walked out telling them "let not your next generation to this job...". Let the future citizens of this country clean their own shit until they pay for it appropriately...

They both smiled confidently.

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