Have been in the process of getting the house painted over the last two days. There are three youngsters Prakash, Panda and Bhuttu who might be barely 20 who have been allocated to do the job.
Thin, tall, very unsure is how they look. At times it seems as if they are emotionless. But then, is it really the case? Certainly not. Not after the small talk I had with them which humbled me and also in many ways put me to shame.
They come form Orissa, have been in the city for two years now and just about manage to speak some amount of Hindi. None are married and have family sizes of 5-7 back home. Have they come here to fulfill their dreams, to mint money, to make it big one day? No, it's none of the above, it is to just be able to send money home. How much do they manage to send? Each keeps Rs.1500 for himself every month and sends the rest to their family, the amount being anything between 3000 - 5000!! What is 1500? It's obviously a lot to them, in fact everything since it sees them through a month! Their lunch is vada-pav / samosa and probably 20 mls of tea.
I wonder what keeps them going. The job in itself is so mundane and so uncomfortable...........you are inhaling the dust while scraping off the earlier paint and while painting you are inhaling the fumes. How long will they be healthy enough, their lungs be strong enough so that they can continue to do what they do now? And then, what? Is it then that they will give up?
They live in a tiny shanty in the 'elite' South Mumbai, 10 of them together. It's all there for them to see - the swanky stores, the high rises, the four wheelers, the hotels, the pubs. When they see these contrasts do they ever wonder where they are, what their life is about, do they ever feel hopeless? Or is it that they just know it - know that this is where they are, that the knowledge of it is so strong that it doesn't even cross their mind and they are happy where they are. Happy in the fact that they live in Mumbai, that they have found work in Mumbai, that they are financially independent, that they are able to send money back home every month!!! Come to think of it, it is a lot they accomplish!! Prakash, Panda and Bhuttu smiled big smiles when asked their names and when they spoke about home and how they support their family. With the smiles one could see the pride!
For their families back in Orissa.................I wonder what they think. It's as if I can see the chest high pride - son/brother working in Mumbai, sending money home every month and even getting back goodies when he comes back on his yearly visits during Pooja!!!! Do they know what the son is doing, how he's living, what he's eating................I doubt.
Thin, tall, very unsure is how they look. At times it seems as if they are emotionless. But then, is it really the case? Certainly not. Not after the small talk I had with them which humbled me and also in many ways put me to shame.
They come form Orissa, have been in the city for two years now and just about manage to speak some amount of Hindi. None are married and have family sizes of 5-7 back home. Have they come here to fulfill their dreams, to mint money, to make it big one day? No, it's none of the above, it is to just be able to send money home. How much do they manage to send? Each keeps Rs.1500 for himself every month and sends the rest to their family, the amount being anything between 3000 - 5000!! What is 1500? It's obviously a lot to them, in fact everything since it sees them through a month! Their lunch is vada-pav / samosa and probably 20 mls of tea.
I wonder what keeps them going. The job in itself is so mundane and so uncomfortable...........you are inhaling the dust while scraping off the earlier paint and while painting you are inhaling the fumes. How long will they be healthy enough, their lungs be strong enough so that they can continue to do what they do now? And then, what? Is it then that they will give up?
They live in a tiny shanty in the 'elite' South Mumbai, 10 of them together. It's all there for them to see - the swanky stores, the high rises, the four wheelers, the hotels, the pubs. When they see these contrasts do they ever wonder where they are, what their life is about, do they ever feel hopeless? Or is it that they just know it - know that this is where they are, that the knowledge of it is so strong that it doesn't even cross their mind and they are happy where they are. Happy in the fact that they live in Mumbai, that they have found work in Mumbai, that they are financially independent, that they are able to send money back home every month!!! Come to think of it, it is a lot they accomplish!! Prakash, Panda and Bhuttu smiled big smiles when asked their names and when they spoke about home and how they support their family. With the smiles one could see the pride!
For their families back in Orissa.................I wonder what they think. It's as if I can see the chest high pride - son/brother working in Mumbai, sending money home every month and even getting back goodies when he comes back on his yearly visits during Pooja!!!! Do they know what the son is doing, how he's living, what he's eating................I doubt.
