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Thursday 6 September 2012

Work Worthy

I've always wondered how can servitude be great, unless you are a servant of the society and work towards the betterment of people. Therefore naturally,  I've always had a difficulty in assuming the role of an employee who is only expected to work towards earning profits for his employer in lieu of his salary. It squeezes me naturally. Probably that's why I switched three jobs in a span of one year. Each time I left one, I promised to myself that I'd start something of my own. But providence forced me to be an employee again and again. I'll probably remain an employee forever. However the thing about my present employment is that I'm no more working for a profit churning enterprise. Rather I am now employed for public service and my prime task is to work for the betterment of the community and country. It may not be entirely how I wanted it to be, but it's so far the best opportunity at service of society, that the Lord Almighty has graced me with.

I used to feel sorry for myself back when I used to work day in and day out for a profit making corporation. It's because in my personal opinion I always considered that it's worthwhile either to toil for your own venture or work for an organization which is into public service and social upliftment and if you cannot do either then find time, in whatever service you are, to devote for meaningful service towards the betterment of our society.

Please don't mistake my preference for enterprising as my apathy against job holders. I have extreme respect for people who choose to work under the directives of an external force, sacrificing many of their yearnings, at times secretly compromising their dreams and self respect, so that they can earn bread for their children and family. RESPECT is the only word I have for them.

 I'm equally pragmatic to not think that everyone must and should become an entrepreneur. That cannot happen. There are diverse life circumstances that engulf people and not everyone can be advised to break free from those and start an enterprise. So I've nothing against employment as such. But at the same time I find it intolerable on the part of those who enjoy the scope of breaking free, to remain job holders forever without planning to do something on their own one day. That'd create employment opportunity and generate income ( augmenting national income) plus his former job can be given to someone more needy. Starting their own new enterprise would also allow them greater independence to manage their time at their convenience to contribute to, in whatever significant way possible, the upliftment of the impoverished and the needy. That's how we could generate a cycle of affluence. There would thus be twin advantages if a salaried job holder, having the opportunity to leave his job,  leaves his job and creates employment opportunities.

I'll share the instance of one of my relatives who hails from a very rich family. I mean, there is no plausible reason why he should go and serve an MNC instead of starting some self made enterprise. But he never quite had the knack to become a profit hankering businessman. So he always used to say 'I'm going to start a NGO which will be into core public service, like legal aid or battling poverty or eradicating lack of education'. I remembering being so proud of him. Then something called MBA happened to him and he's now a glorified labourer, in a foreign company, who mostly goes without availing even his weekends, for a salary of one lakh rupees per month. I called him a laborer because he doesn't even have adequate time for anything except his work. The last time I had a phone conversation with him, he thanked me for updating him about the change of Presidentship in our country. He has time neither for his hobbies nor for important events unfolding in our country and outside, leave alone social work. What infuriates me is not his present job profile, but the sheer disconnect with the world around him, that he has suffered after working there. He's too tired or too busy to even harbour an opinion about contentious issues rocking our nation. That's where the problem begins. (My observation about my cousin is due to life circumstances unique to him and may kindly not be treated as my general opinion about MBA degree holders and / or employees of MNCs)

My point therefore is that we ought to recognize the worth of our work. To ask and keep asking, not only what good the job will do to me but also  'What good will it do to our society ?' I'm sure it isn't practical for everyone to be in social service as it isn't possible for everyone to start a business enterprise. Yet we can do our share by fixing atleast a day every month to find out where we can contribute what, beyond just the profits for our employer.

My maternal grandfather, who was working in the legal field, wherever he used to be transferred in his service, picked one impoverished child in his neighborhood, and paid for his / her high school education not only till he worked there but also after he was transferred from that place. I saw so many faces, whom I didn't know, many of whom even my elders didn't recognize, who had come to pay him their reverence at his funeral. It was only when they together came up and introduced themselves that we realized the fruits of his dedication.

 I'll also furnish a more domestic example. Back in his village he also tirelessly educated and even at times reprimanded the men of our extended family who would blissfully consume all the food cooked for the day without even bothering to leave a near equal share for the women folk. He began his crusade by openly admonishing the women in our family saying that it's their fault that they keep on serving everything on the platter without uttering a single word. He changed that by doing away with the culture of separate eating times for men and women. He ensured that all of us ate together and,  when that wasn't possible, he stayed adamant to see that women ate first. I found it remarkably path breaking for a man born in the dark times and surrounded by super orthodox people to think so ahead of that age. My mother brought that culture along and introduced it in our home. She met with terrible resistance initially, especially from the women folk. But she managed to establish that code of eating as far as she could, including in almost all houses of her the then (1980s) neighbourhood, when women did not dare to stand around when men were discussing things.

The reason why I cited this example is because I want to emphasize that our contribution to the society need not necessarily be headline grabbing or front page news. It could be the smallest of works but with such significance as to eradicate a difficulty and establish equality and order.

That's part of the reason why I have never quite approved the way our education system works. From inception to the end, it prepares the youth to become the best follower among a band of followers. No one ever encourages you to either innovate nor prepares you for the difficulties and tribulations of undertaking risks, be it those in business or pursuing an unconventional service. However I will not take away the credit that most ascribe to it in terms of having developed a very competitive and elaborate syllabus and a challenging examination scheme.

At the cost of repetition I'd reiterate that whether you are a job holder or not, introspect and unravel the worth of your work. If you are employed in a business, make time for doing some substantially objective work for the aid of our ailing community and country. Figure out for yourself, what it is that you can do to better things around you. If you are up for it then always keep planning to start your own venture, which atleast will ensure that you will create employment and generate income for many people. If you are running a business, then have the heart to keep a share of your profit for fulfilling your social responsibility and the mind to keep getting better at it as you do at your business. If you are a public servant, don't be lethargic or corrupt, simply work for the goal that you signed up for. I need not tell you that the innumerable afflictions rotting our society require the roles of all of us, small or big, in freeing it from them. So let's work worthy.

This post may kndly not be taken as my prejudices against job holders. I myself am a job holder. I have nothing against job holders, except that I would want to see more and more job holders devoting time for social service. Our community and nation are in dire need of our concerted efforts in that direction. It'd require tremendous sacrifice. Imagine coming back from office at 9 in the night and still having the zeal to do something. It'd require planning, management and of course cooperation at various levels, particularly from family members.

** P.SI have always wanted to write on this issue, but never really wanted to be mistaken as a preacher. So I kept dodging my own wish at writing this post. However I got in touch with a fabulous blogger named Bhishma Choudhury who blogs his views emphatically at http://sanki.in/ about the myriad issues concerning our youth and our nation with a focus on the tardiness of our education system, and encouraging entrepreneurial aspirations of the youth. It was his latest post @  http://sanki.in/2012/09/03/somethings-are-better-left-untitled/  which gave me the required impetus to write what I've been wanting to write for a long time. Check out his blog for similar experiences.







47 comments:

  1. You brought out a nice thought, but the way you started the post by showing job holders negatively was not right. Just for your information, I closely watch the salaried people and the entrepreneurs, that is part of my Job. Take out the data of any country, the salaried people contribute more towards the Govt. exchequer than anybody else. They pay income tax and they bear the indirect taxes being the largest mass of end user. I have seen many business men, the so called entrepreneurs, they don't even pay 1% of what they earn as taxes.
    Anyways, I completely agree with the second part of your post and I do my bit as far as possible if not in monitory terms to contribute towards society.

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    1. Amit I'm quoting my words from my post " Please don't mistake my preference for enterprising as my apathy against job holders. I have extreme respect for people who choose to work under the directives of an external force, sacrificing many of their yearnings, at times secretly compromising their dreams and self respect, so that they can earn bread for their children and family. RESPECT is the only word I have for them." So I have not shown job holders negatively. I myself am a job holder. My post is about those job holders who have a scope of creating enterprises but do not do so rather they continue with their jobs. I'm not prejudging any job holder who has a serious problem to deal with for which he cannot leave his job.

      By the way when I say businessmen, I mean honest businessmen. Why else would have I talked about contribution to our society, if I wanted to see more and more businessmen getting away with tax evasion. Secondly the data about salaried people being honest tax payers might not be the conclusive proof of their better contribution. Who know if there would be no record of their salary they might evade taxes too. A job holder is not from another planet. He's a human too like a businessman, subject to similar temptations and vices. Though not similar opportunities. So I don't quite agree to the way you have compared tax contributions by the two classes.

      By the way I want to humbly ask you Amit what exactly in the beginning of my post did you find negative about the portrayal of job holders ?

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    2. Honest Businessman? Seriously till date I have not seen any of them as far as the taxation matter is concerned. And yes I deal with thousands of them because that is part of my Job, but on the other side I have seen honest salaried tax payers. Well! Why there is a difference I would take some other time.

      Coming to the point, as far as I understood the central theme of your post is contributing towards the society, why do you need job holders to start entrepreneurship, they can contribute towards the society being in Job only, your grandfather was a classic example. I may be wrong in my interpretation, but being in Job it didnt feel nice to me, otherwise I wouldnt have commented because, I am a gr8 fan of ur writing.

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    3. Come' on Amit, I know you are one of my avid supporters. Therefore it's doubly interesting & great that we are having a debate and discussion over an issue. I'm sure that this would filter out the best possible outcome.

      Now please understand Amit, that I am nobody to comment on the integrity of ALL salaried people or conclude that because most business men resort to unfair practices, the whole business community is doomed. Prejudging even a single honest business man as a dishonest man on the basis of hundred perceived dishonest businessmen is unfair. Don't you agree ?

      Coming to the point of why job holders need to start their own enterprise to contribute to welfare of society. At the cost of repetition, I'll say that job holders who are working in an organization concerned purely with making money - if there is a scope (I repeat) if there is a scope at all, then it's always better for the society that they should start something of their own. That'd create employment opportunity and generate income ( augmenting national income) plus his former job can be given to someone more needy. I've also stated that such men should not only continue with their own new enterprise but also find time and heart to contribute either financially or in whatever significant way possible to the upliftment of the impoverished and the needy. That's how we generate a cycle of affluence. So you see there would be twin advantage if a salaried job holder leaves his job and creates employment opportunities.

      I've mentioned the example of my maternal grandfather in order to encourage those for whom there lies no scope to leave their jobs (Like Myself), to believe that even they can, being in jobs, contribute to the society.

      I understand that my words hurt you Amit, as I'm sure it'd hurt so many others who are in job. I'm sorry for having hurt your sentiments. I say sorry to anyone who has or will feel hurt by my words.

      I'm apologizing because I do not want my goal of encouraging my fellow job holders to rise above their mundane indulgences, to get drowned in this argument and anger that I might invite from my dear readers. I've no problem if you misinterpret my words as long as you understand the ultimate message of my post. I request the same to you Amit.

      I've heard powerful people who go begging for votes saying that "Nothing will ever be changed by the serving class, since they will serve to earn - so that would repay loans - so that their children study - so that they too find a job to earn & repeat what his father did." It is because of our liabilities that we are always made to feel that we stand so much to loose. Hence we must keep mum and stay confined. Because of this a concealed contempt is always directed towards the salaried class and it is blood boiling. Therefore I wanted to write this post, to inspire people to break free, if at all they have that opportunity. . And if they can't there is nothing to worry since being in their jobs too, they can stretch their hands in service of objectives beyond just making money for their employers.

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    4. No need for the sorry Anupam, in fact i should be the person who should be saying sorry.
      All your points taken, to sum up the argument I would put forward only one point. The Corporate Social Responsibility in our country is extremely bad as compared to the world, we need to extensively improve in that.

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    5. So right (about CSR). Thanks :)

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  3. be a responsible human being and contribute to society as much as u can in your limits... somehow if we are able to inculcate this value in ourselves..
    a lot can change.. little steps only bring out a big change..

    regarding the people in job... I too have come across with many who are simply lost in their 4- walled world.... where as there are some people who, in spite of everything, squeeze time out for everything.. and I respect them most :)

    Awesome read as ever !!!

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    1. Thanks for reading and sharing your experiences, Jyoti.

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  4. nice post(smiling).Well,sometimes my hectic schedule do not let me to know the daily happenings in the country or world or even in my neighbourhood,,,i will say,i live a robotic life and then go for a long holiday.

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    1. I can understand, it's not your fault. It's the nature of work. So I'll only say that whenever you get time, you use it wisely. Thanks for reading Gunjan

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  5. My Comment is not visible..please check the spam.

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    1. Must be some glitch. But this comment is visible, Please try posting it again

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  6. So inspiring. Well..whatever we are ( a job holder, an entrepreneur or something else)we can always serve humanity in many ways. So its not our occupation .. it's our character that can make our work worthy :)The example you noted are really very inspiring. Thanks

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    1. Thank You Monika for reading "Work Worthy" and sharing your precious insight on the issue

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  7. i always go to an orphanage near to my home & i love to spend time and money for them,it gives peace of mind,looking forward to know what do you do in your leisure hours!

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    1. I'm delighted to know that you do what you do concerning orphans. As I said I'm in public service, where an integral part of my service is salvaging the exploited and the harassed.

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  8. hehe loved thi- 'Some called MBA happened ! SO very true. Wts the point in minting money but with no time for self or people around u!

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    1. It was just in the context of my cousin Shilpi. I hope that not all MBA grads undergo the same detachment from their personal upliftment.

      Thanks for reading Shilpi

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  9. I come home from office at 9 and show tremendous zeal for a bottle. This is probably wrong.

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    1. Sure. Who says one can't have additional (and may be worked up) zeal after the zeal for bottle is quenched.

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  10. I am glad at least now you have found your true calling ...believe me I always wanted to do something for the society ...but something always would always turn up ...so in my ex-employment a monthly sum to an orphanage and convinced myself I was doing my bit...but that snot enough right ? Good post and thanks for voting on my blog :)

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    1. Dear Sridevi ji,

      I'm nobody to decide what's enough as social service. It's you and only you who can decide that. Who knows how your monthly contribution must have helped some orphan in a significant way. Your friends and family must be so proud of you for the fact that you could give up your hard earned money for the needy and impoverished. I'm proud of you as a fellow citizen.

      Keep it up.

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  11. At the end of the day, making a difference in people's lives and giving back to society is all that counts. And if this motivation is missing, MBA or no MBA, mid life crisis is always there to rouse one from slumber :D

    Jokes apart, something as inexpensive as listening patiently, without judging, to a person who is dying to be heard (when in an orphanage or old-age home, doing this counts as much as charity)can prove to be priceless, don't you agree? Even a small gesture like giving up one's seat for a person who needs it more than you do or a smile that lights up someone's day, or standing up for a person who is unable to speak up for herself, can go a long way when one is confused as to how to do 'social service'. Being human counts as social service too.

    "Let's work worthy." Wow! A great post again. There's a lot that I'm going to take from this article.
    And your maternal grandfather reminded me of mine who has financed the education and marriage of a number of people whom none in the family recognise :)

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    1. Yes. Being human is perhaps the greatest service to fellow humans. I agree that not everyone can contribute financially. Innovation is of help there. I'm delighted by your innovative suggestions. They may be minute but only the persons who are involved know their value.

      Wonderful insight, Sudha. And it's great to know that we share similar memories of our grandfathers.

      I hope the mid life crisis joke wasn't meant for me :(

      'Cuz I'm a jolly good decade away from it (assuming that I'll live for a long eighty years)
      ;)

      Thanks for reading, Sudha

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    2. Hahaha no, the joke wasn't meant for you. You are in public service, and your passionate articles say it loud that you are a conscientious person before anything else. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to derive 'meaning' from your work. You already have that.
      Since you appear to have made peace with some of the conflicts in your life, some difficult decisions that you have had to take (as came across in some of your other articles)...I don't think the mid-life crisis bug is going to trouble you :)

      Your assumption carries my best wishes. I hope that you keep writing and that I keep reading your works, till you are eighty, and hopefully more :D

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  12. Fiery and passionate. I agree on most parts. I work in a company where every employee makes some sort of contribution to an orphanage institute for girls and other charity organizations. For the year of 2011-2012 our company of approximately 500-600 people contributed 31 lakhs towards this cause, makes you feel good working in a company which does not solely concentrate on profits.

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    1. I feel so happy for you because you work in a company which fulfills its obligations towards our community. Try to work with them as long as you can Sandeep.

      Thanks for reading and sharing your story.

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  13. Thank you for this post. To this day I have felt a failure because I don't push myself to work constantly and earn big. I always put my obligations to my family and society first. Maybe that's not a bad thing?

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    1. You're damn right that's not a bad thing AT ALL. I for one salute you for the choice that you've made. What's the point of working strenuously and earning big, if that takes us away from our mothers and our fathers and our children. I know a friend whose father was so busy that they rarely got talk. It was only after he retired that he could find time. But by then his son had found other indulgences. Once he told me how terribly he regrets not being there for my friend to teach him and guide him about the ways of his life in his formative years.

      All my friends' parents are missing them. They are so lonely at times. I feel scared for my own parents. I dread the day when work'll take me away from them. That'll happen one day. How we maintain communication thereafter is very important.

      I'm equally happy that you fulfill your obligations for society too.

      Hats Off

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  14. Hi Anupam,
    This is the first time I read your post. I was quite curious as you mostly read my poetry :) and I am so glad my curiosity led me here. It's a wonderful post and very inspiring, I guess your Grandpa played a great role in shaping the way you think and write. Imagine two generations apart, yet what an impact. I believe if everyone were to take up the cause of service to others as earnestly as you do in your posts, many generations will be impacted 
    It was a pleasure to read your post (I seldom bother). Thank you!

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    1. I'm delighted by your generous appreciation, Ismita. It's indeed very encouraging. I'm thankful that you finally managed to drop by.

      If you ever get time go through a few short stories I've penned. Just click the 'Short Stories' page and take your pick.

      It'd be interesting to know your take on my fictions. (They are all non proof read, so far. My apologies in advance, in case you read 'em with difficulty)

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  15. Anupam a thought provoking post..always just think about doing something but could never come up with doing anything..if 1% of selfless service towards the society is done by all the citizen our country will not be lacking in any field..but the present scenario is such that everyone is finding it hard to fulfill one's own needs..

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  16. It was interesting not only to read your post, but also the comments- contradictions, clarifications,confrontations, and then conciliation.. If I have understood right, your contention is that we would like to see more and more people contributing for good of the society, who could make a difference in some one else's life, then you are batting against the selfish in the society. And selfish people are found in all walks of life- public, private or self employed sectors. So, we need to find solution where the problem lies, in our attitudes. Every one is running after success, meaning achievements for the self. Einstein had said, successful people are those who take more from the society than they give! and satisfied (useful) people are those who give more to the society than they take..

    Let us work for creating more satisfied, useful people by inducing change from within, no matter where and under whom they work.

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    1. I fully agree with you when you say that it's all in our attitude.

      Thanks for reading and sharing your guiding insight.

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  17. We are humans for a reason - we can think. We are equipped to create and innovate. Then why reduce ourselves to robots who are programmed to score high marks, go for engineering/medicine/MBA, get a well-paying job, climb high up the social ladder and cement your position? I think there's more to life than just unquestioningly following accepted norms. Personally, I feel there's nothing better than the joy of being different, the thrill of breaking free.

    And I agree that contributions need not necessarily be headline-grabbers. After all, small drops of water together make an ocean! I'm extremely awed by your grandfather's personal crusade for gender equality in households. His ideas were indeed ahead of the times.

    This beautiful, passionate post just reminded me of these lines by Tagore:

    "Where the mind is led forward by thee
    Into ever-widening thought and action
    Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake!"

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    1. Your thought provoking insight gives just the required impetus to the message that I've tried to convey. I remember being equally inspired, I mean I still am inspired by those immortal words of Sri Tagore

      Thanks for your continued support Zainab.

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  18. you have made a most valid point.
    will let you know when I can actually follow the same principle in my own life.
    thanks for echoing my own thoughts.

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    1. Thank You.

      I'm glad that we think alike

      All the Best for your endeavour.

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  19. I do not understand. You did NOT want to work for a company that EARNS money only if it provides a benefit to consumers, but you DO want to work for the government that TAKES money regardless of whether or not they are productive, and are therefore job-DESTROYERS? This does not seem to be an ethical or well thought out conclusion of yours.

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    2. I wanted to just dismiss your comment by replying that 'I can't help if I don't strike you as ethical'. But then I thought I should counter your statement so that my readers aren't misguided by your prejudicial expression.

      Ok.


      I wonder how come a man who SEEMS to be relatively more experienced (from his profile pic.) lost out to the much younger readers in understanding a simple point. I hope it isn't the other effect of age Mr. Fernandez. That simple point is that I CHOSE TO LEAVE A PROFIT MAKING ORG NOT CONCERNED WITH SOCIAL SERVICE BECAUSE I WANTED TO. IT WAS A PERSONAL CHOICE. Have you heard of this expression Mr. Fernandez 'personal choice' ?

      From so many things I've said and so many things I've discussed about social service and working towards betterment of the needy and impoverished, all you could choose to point out was my choice of not working with a company and joining the Govt. Sad, really sad.

      Ok let's leave that

      I wonder what makes you think that you know who I work for. You jumped to conclusions without being sure of my work place ? I wonder how well thought out was that. More so when you raise doubts about the productivity of my institution without even knowing what it is.

      Therefore your concern for my ethics is farcical and unwarranted. I'm afraid your prejudiced expressions belie your intellectual veneer.

      It gives me a strong impression that for a long time you have served a profit making private company, worried only about improving that balance sheet, taking executive trips, posing as the elite, without ever caring for your return to the society and the nation. For which reason you got so irked by my write up and tried to turn a simple statement of finding time and space in our lives for the betterment of our society, into a non issue of "which is better" dispute between the private sector and the govt.

      But then I won't conclude that any of my impression about you may be true, because I do not wish to repeat YOUR mistake, by prejudging you.

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  20. Great post. Yes i would also prefer "services" instead of "Jobs" in this profit-eyed society.

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    1. Thanks for reading dear. I'm glad to know we think alike.

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