Our attitude
towards the everyday life is shaped to a large extend by the dominant
ideas of the society we live in. The society dictate the individual’s
mind on what is respectable, praiseworthy, decent, honourable and
what is undignified, immoral, devalued. As long as we are ‘within’
the society the chances of seeing otherwise is very thin. And in a
close-knit society like ours the individual’s development is
vitally hinged on the social environment. Look at the scenario in our
society today, there is a ‘new’ denomination to settle things:
money. You have to literally pay your way up to get things done. It
doesn’t seem peculiar anymore since most people have gotten used to
the system. The “everybody’s doing it, so what’s the harm”
attitude has muted the possible guilt feeling in everyone’s
conscience. But, is a ‘wrong’ justified because everyone’s
doing it?
What most
people do not realize is that this ‘new’ moral standard will
seriously harm the society in the long run. In course of time, we
have not only assign values to those that give better monetary return
but also demeaned those that are humble yet sustainable with dignity.
A phenomenon which needs urgent address in our society is the issue
of ‘employment.’ Though unemployment percentage may not be
alarming at the moment, there is a high risk of rise in numbers of
not only ‘uneducated’ unemployed but also of ‘educated’
unemployed. It is disheartening to see that “fairness” is being
demoted from the vocabulary of the people when it comes to seeking
jobs. And when ‘money’ is the determinant in employment the
dividing line between different kinds of jobs become wider.
One
fault-line that has taken root in the mentality of the people in our
society is the way ‘government’ jobs are delegated superior
status as compared to ‘self-employed’ or ‘private’ jobs. And
unfortunately, this ‘traditional’ thinking is even inflated by
the current money value attached to those professions. We can
perceive this from the way people scramble for ’government’ jobs.
Sad but true, many people still thinks the term ‘job’ is
applicable only to those who are employed in the government sector,
while the others are all categorized ‘unemployed’! This ‘typical’
mindset is exhibited by the kind of response we receive from people
when asked what they do. They just shy away from telling the truth
and say, “Ah! I do nothing”, or “I’m unemployed.” In
effect, what they mean is that they do not have a government job.
They may be privately employed somewhere but they don’t count it
significant. It may sound very casual but it is in these small talks
that we understand the ‘value’ we attach to jobs.
Accidentally,
this way of thinking seems to have found its way even into the minds
of those who are considered to be ‘educated’. In my many years of
stay here in Delhi, I’ve met many people from our community
employed in different organizations and in different capacities. And
year after year, I have observed an intriguing situation shared by
many in the way they perceive their own profession. Most people
employed elsewhere other than the ‘government’ sector appear
uneasy admitting that they work in BPOs or sales and marketing or
other ‘private’ organizations. Why so? Are those jobs not paid
good enough? They are. In fact, most corporate ‘jobs’ are
lucrative and promises high growth prospect. And, most private
organizations provide better packages and are attracting talents.
Are they not sustainable? They are. Most ‘private’ organizations
have welfare schemes which are even better and more efficient than
the many ‘government’ sectors! And yet, at the back of our mind
we still think ‘government’ jobs are more ‘respectable’. That
is not necessarily true. What matters is how we pre-conceptualize
‘occupation’ in our mind.
While many
of us have changed our outlook on this issue because of our exposure
to the ‘worlds’ outside, the majority still have the
‘traditional’ opinion. This can be verified by the picture we see
even in the city of Delhi. Most students who come here in pursuance
of their academic future hope to take public examination to get
through a ‘government’ job as first preference. Options elsewhere
are sought only after. Somehow, the tag a ‘government job’ is
‘super-special’! But how and why has this concept taken root in
our way of thinking? Perhaps, we need retrospection…
Once upon a
time, getting a ‘government’ job was the ultimate. A steady
income flowing into your account regardless of your work and backed
by a pension scheme to sustain your family even after you’re gone
made it very attractive. But that glory days are gone. Now the ‘old’
pension system does not apply anymore in the government sector too
(for those who are not informed yet). What’s more, with the
liberalization of the nation’s economy, private competitors are
surging ahead in all spheres. You can see the reality in the brands
that are in the market across the cities. However, the story is not
the same everywhere. The rural areas are yet to see the change, but
it’s surely coming sooner than later. We can already see this in
the mobile telecommunication systems. Even in our part of the world,
the private telecom services have given a tough competition to the
once sole provider, BSNL.
We need new
perspectives on things we see around us. One of the biggest
corruptions in our society is triggered by our ‘over-dependence’
on the government. Everybody is running after government job,
government scheme, government subsidy, government, government,
government… Why are people after them? Because they do not want to
‘work’ but want to enjoy the privileges. They do not want to go
to office but want the salary. Everyone is all out to make money the
easy way. And they think the government is the best bet. That’s why
the government jobs are on sale! Only the highest bidder gets it. Who
bothers the qualification? With money everything is in your reach,
believe it or not. The way things are getting done in our state is
staggering!
Is there a
way out to set things right again? Yes, there are ways. First, we
need to make a conscious effort to dissuade ourselves from the
negative attitudes we have built up in perceiving private or
self-employments vis-à-vis government jobs. The ‘money’ tag in
the jobs available in our society has devalued the humble jobs out of
which many people make a living. Anyone in the profession, high
paying or not, needs appreciation. Our income level may not be
uniform everyday or every month, yet that does not define the value
of a person. The arrogant attitude to measure up a person’s worth
by the amount of pay he draws has to be done away with. The
recognition of private or self-employed people in the society as
respectable workers can produce sustainable growth in a positive way.
There is,
however, a critical assessment required in the job condition of the
privately employed. Of course, there are not much private jobs
besides teaching in private schools, but consider their plight; with
no job security prospect, the pay too meager and the liability of
them been ejected anytime makes the profession less attractive.
Certainly, the private institutions cannot out-pay the government but
they can make certain amenities so as to provide sustainable security
of employment and safeguarding their rights. Though there are not
much private organizations at for now, we can hope to see them coming
soon. A transparent and well-structured organization can attract
talented people as employees. As for those who are self-employed
there is brighter prospect. Since they take business to their own
hand the growth prospect is higher. And yet, only few options are
explored by our people. There are some who are into merchandising or
run small retail shops, but we need to venture into more of the small
scale businesses that may not require big investments like art &
craft, cobbling, health & beauty, cafeteria, etc. These
enterprises may not give high return instantly but they can be
steady, secure and marked with positive growth.
Secondly, we
need to revive the sense in the dignity of labour. All jobs deserve
respect. Any worker ought to treat his tools and fields with certain
sense of reverence for it is by them that he realizes the final
result. Whether you are a teacher or a carpenter or a business person
or a cultivator you ought to treat the job with dignity because you
earn your livelihood by it. There are so many pursuable professions
in our society which most people ignore because we look at them as
lowly or too ordinary. Take for example, cobblers, barbers,
carpenters, etc. Why aren’t our people taking up such professions?
Because those jobs are apportioned low value by the society. It’s
not that they do not earn. In fact, if you observe the work of a
cobbler or a barber closely, say at Senapati town, it is not
laborious or taxing and for sure they would be earning 300-400 per
day on an average. Ironically, the pompous attitude of our people
would not allow them to merely “cut somebody’s hair” or “mend
someone’s shoe”; they’d rather toil in the ‘ancestral’
field the whole day though barely manage to fill his family members’
hungry stomachs at the end of the day! It’s not that our people do
not know cobbling or mending shoes, yet even least of the unemployed
fellows would not take such jobs because it is looked upon as
‘inferior’ or ‘debase’ or even equated with ‘slavery’!
Coincidentally,
such mindset is observable even among those who are working away from
home, in cities like Delhi. What’s there to be shy or discomfited
in declaring what you do? It’s not what you do but what you ‘think’
of the job that dignifies it. Whether you are a salesperson or a
customer executive or a manager you should have the self-esteem of
holding the position because you derive income through it. What’s
there to be deterred about working in private companies, after all,
government or non-governmental, most people are employee. We all
labour to make a living. The honour of the job depends a lot on who
holds it.
Overall, our
mental aptitude needs a paradigm shift in understanding ‘employment.’
I believe infusing the dignity in any form of work can add a new
meaning to the various opportunities that are available in our
society. At the same time, the forms of rampage corruption can be
tackled if self-employed or private services are also appropriated
the same respect as those of the government employees.
(Published in Morung Express, 7 January, 2015. An earlier version of this article also appeared in the 2011 annual magazine of PNTMD)
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