Moral Police

I think Indians, especially APites, are the only ones who need moral policing. The recent debate about installing God's pictures to prevent people urinating in public places proves this point. Not only that, we need law enforcement to tell men not to occupy seats and compartments designated for women/senior citizens/physically handicapped in buses and trains. We need police to tell us that hanging onto the doorways of moving bus/trains is harmful. One wonders whether common sense is missing. The basic civic sense is lacking. People spit out of a moving bus window, without bothering to see where or whom they are spitting on. We think that the entire road is a big garbage bin, we love littering. An empty bin with garbage piled around is a common sight. As is people urinating right outside public urinals. 

What is this urge to break rules? We have traffic lights, but still need traffic police to ensure that people follow the signals. Free left-turns have to be implemented by placing cones and barricades. People wear helmets, put on seat belts only when the police is around. Isnt it for their own safety? Add to that the menace of cell phones. People talking over the phones in public places are not only a nuisance factor, but endanger their lives and of those around them. Pedestrian crossing is always ignored and any demand is meted with a blare of horns. No one gives way for an ambulance, of course there is no place to give way. The two lane road has at least five lanes, so where is the question of giving side. Seeing some drive, I wonder the purpose of lane demarcations. Are we supposed to drive on the line?

Take the same person to US, they will follow all rules without any monitoring. The minute they land in India they start littering and spitting around. How will India improve when basic civic sense is lacking in people living here?

Child Labor

I have this principle of not hiring under-age kids for domestic chores, 10th std is my benchmark. I have tried to stick to it but it is proving to be very difficult.

It all started with my watchman taking offence, his complaint: "Everyone in this apt hires my kids for some work or the other, except you. Why don't you like my kids?" Now how does one tell an uneducated man the pitfalls in hiring under-age help and my principles against it? 

Then my maid servant announced that she has stopped sending her daughter to school, would I be interested in hiring her for some extra house-hold help? I tried my best to persuade her to send the girl back to school. I volunteered to meet the expenses, she countered it's govt school so fee was not an issue. Then why deny her education, what was the problem? My maid's husband did a disappearing act and left her with three kids. Elder one was married and the younger one was too young to work. So the burden of sharing her responsibility fell on the second child. Her argument was simple, the time the girl spends at school can be converted into cash. All the girl needs is one or two decent homes and she will be earning at the minimum 5K per month, which is a lot of money. How can one argue with that logic? I went to the extent of offering to pay the 5K so the girl can continue her studies. But why came the question. She has enough education to read and do simple arithmetic, what good will come out of completing school? Families will think twice before considering her hand in marriage. No one in their community wants an educated girl for their sons. She promised she will educate her third child.

Another case, the son of our watchman. He showed some potential and we, the entire apt complex, nurtured him. We paid for his education and he became an engineer. He did a decent job and passed with average scores but nothing exceptional. Unfortunately, he didn't get through in campus placements. Companies look for smart and impressive candidates, which this guy was not. So he was stuck. He feels doing menial work, like his father, below his station and he was not getting any corporate jobs. It took us a couple of months to convince him that no job was too small. So what good did his education?

Coming back to my maid servant. When the daughter came of age, she got her married, took some heavy amount of loan from me towards dowry and expenses. She feels obligated and works very loyally, never asks for a raise nor does she refuse any work. Is that bonded labor? Her third child decided he wasn't interested in studies and quit after 7th std. He took up driving lessons and works as a driver making more than the above-mentioned engineer. She is very happy. All her children are obedient, they take good care of her and are happy in their respective lives. What more can she expect? Compared to the watchman, who is stuck with a surly engineer son, her choice seems very sane and practical.