A nice smile helps...

Do we value existence of other human beings?

I come across bunch of me-myself-and-only-me persons, who do not have respect for those belonging to lower economic strata at all, almost on a daily basis. Today morning, while walking towards my seat at my workplace, I heard a guy shouting at office boy - who collects/delivers, as the case may be, printouts for/to other - for not being present at the printer, as his printouts had got stuck. The person was at his best in giving a hearing to office boy, in front of a visitor from US. Clearly, the visitor was unfazed by all this and was busy correcting the printer and collecting papers, while the 'Indian' guy, kept on lambasting at the office boy.

It was a small incident by any measures, but just imagine the impact it leaves on others. The office boy could loose self-respect, since he was not treated properly. The visitor from US, who might already be considering India as a low wage/cheap labor country, where professions and people are not valued, would have an incident to describe back home. Besides, like me, perhaps, others too did not feel good about the guy in question.

I wonder, how we Indians become suddenly so gratuitous, whenever a person from the lower income strata, greets/helps us in other countries. We reply back in the same tone - greet, pass a smile, thank, help them and so on (and not to mention obey laws :)). But once back home, we look upon people working in same professions.

I have often done that in other countries, and not always done the same here in India. And the same was with my colleagues. So I am to be equally blamed. We are part of this system - society, value system, upbringing, where we as children were not allowed to mingle with children of maids, or the guy who ironed clothes, or electrician etc. The civic studies in schools, was also, all farce - teach something and practice something else (though someone did say, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you').

Two similar incidents I witnessed couple of weeks back - one in Bangalore and other in Delhi. In both cases, the car driver's ego were hurt since the cyclists just looked at them in anger, for the fault of the driver (hitting the cyclist, while taking a u-turn in the former and jumping the signal, in latter). And the result, the cyclists were bashed or just managed to escape.

Belligerent, sadist, egoist or upbringing is to be blamed for it?

We have miles to go before we respect each and every profession in India, but to reach that milestone, we should learn to respect others. A developing nation we are, true; but we need to instill good value system in ourselves and our children at least, so that if not in our times, our children could proudly say we are a developed nation.

On a side note, I wonder the need for having an office boy in first place. In the pursuit of satisfying the local government's policy of employing people from all strata, and in the name of caring-for-employees, the companies are making we hardly working people more lazy and fatty (for not taking effort in walking up to the printer, mail is delivered@desk, as against a pigeon-hole box etc). It is a tough choice - it gives employment to people (mostly are contractors), but do they get respect? I am not recommending to snatch their jobs, or find other hobs for them, but at least make them feel good about it.

And that onus lies on us too. Respecting others would help. Value the existence of others would help, and above all a genuine smile would help.

So next time you and I land up in this situation, just be respectful to others and smile, rather than being abusive.