Stop manual scavenging

If you had to pick one, which is the cleaning chore you hate the most?  Is it cleaning bathrooms and clogged household drains? Forget cleaning, can you even to stand near an open manhole for a few minutes, or peep into it once? You can’t, nor can I. But have you ever thought about those massive numbers of sanitation workers who clean latrine pits, manholes toilets, and urinals clogged with dirt and faeces everyday– all with their bare hands? They are called manual scavengers. There is nothing dehumanizing that cleaning the created by others. Sadly, people are cleaning shit for a living, and everything about it is heart-wrenching. They spend more than of their earnings on alcohol, get trapped in poverty, and face heavy discrimination everywhere.

Despite being outlawed, manual scavenging is the predominant occupation of a large number of people, and results in the untimely deaths of many workers, mainly due to carbon monoxide poisoning. As many as 59 sanitation workers have died in Bangalore city alone between 2008 and 2016. Innumerable deaths have gone unreported and nobody makes a hue and cry. Or, we continually remain apathetic about the entire issue. Manual scavenging is both dangerous and demeaning. It’s banned but only on paper. This dangerous occupation is inherently cast-based. Dalits and low-castes are locked into this illegal practice. According to a 2011 Census, nearly 8 lakh people are involved in manual scavenging. They are poorly rewarded and often endure several health issues, as they work in the most hazardous conditions.

With buckets, brooms, and baskets, they clean drainage holes and dry toilets on a daily basis. They have to literally strip down to their underpants, and are not given any protective gears, gloves, or gumboots to wear before clambering into stinky manholes. Alcoholism is deep-rooted among manual scavengers. Wondering why? No one in absolute senses would get close to a smelly toilet or manhole brimming with filth. Alcohol dulls senses and makes it easier to enter into dirty toilets and manholes. Skin diseases are common among manual scavengers, and many are afflicted with fatal leptospirosis, tuberculosis, asthma, and hepatitis as well.

Irrespective of the announcement of several governmental and non-governmental cleanliness campaigns, nothing significant has been done so far to address the plight of these poor sanitation workers who are mostly illiterate and don't have any other source of income. No development initiative or  cleanliness mission can be successfully accomplished when these sanitation workers, dubbed as manual scavengers, are forced to do the most hazardous and degrading job to make ends meet.

No manual scavenger willingly agrees to do this utmost unhygienic job. They too have to eke out a living like us. It’s high time to end this pernicious practice and rehabilitate manual scavengers. With a stringent ban, many people will go jobless. But availability of alternative livelihoods and financial assistance can help them gain confidence and live in a better and dignified manner.

Nepotism - Good or bad?

Not a month has gone by since a national award winning actress accused a prolific director of nepotism. Soon began some strong and pertinent debates on the feudal side of Bollywood. Nepotism is not new in showbiz. It’s not that nepotism is not prevalent in other businesses, but it's rampant in Bollywood. The most evident example is the growing number of talent-less star kids who are ruling the roost in the industry. That said, some stars with zero familial connections also have climbed up the ranks and made it big in Bollywood with grit and hard work.

It’s not a buzzword, it’s as old as the hills. But is nepotism really bad? The implications depend on how it's practiced. When kept within clear and reasonable limitations, this customary concept can even be transmuted to profitable networking that helps procure plum jobs. It’s not the prerogative of well-known families alone. Here is how you can take advantage of this much prevalent practice –

1. Make yourself known to the powerful and renowned. Build strong connections such influential people. Make sure they like you for who you are.
2. Give them a clear idea about who you are and what you are good at. If an opportunity comes up they will immediately have your name on their minds
3. Have all the required skillets and experience to outshine and win hands down.

It totally makes sense to work with the known and trustable, and the best fit are family members and close friends. But undermining the growth and development of non-familial people is what leads to severe malices and major pitfalls that hinder the opportunity to explore the benefits of nepotism.

When looked at from a business perspective, here are the benefits of having “framily” as workforce - Hiring a friend, relative or family member can boost trust, confidence, performance, and retention. With no mandatory background checks, they can be assigned to perform critical and confidential tasks. Employing a competent family member or acquaintance will also reduce hiring and training costs. Being pre-seasoned, friends and family members can contribute several valuable ideas. Levels of loyalty, morale, commitment, and cooperation will be much higher, thus creating a tightknit workforce. Very often, young men and women work in family-owned businesses for low pay rates, thus boosting the bottom line.

But here is the downside:

Some are reluctant to hire outsiders. The rich and well-connected get hired most of the times and many deserving people return empty-handed. Problems arise when relatives outnumber non-relatives, or when non-relative members experience unfairness and favoritism. Lack of professionalism and merit makes many take undue advantage of preferential treatments. In other words, those who don’t work up through the ranks won’t be fully committed to their duties, and never deliver expected results. This is where ethical problems can crop up. It also results in a sharp dip in the morale of non-familial members.

Nepotism takes the wrong deviation when rewards, promotions, and salary hikes are awarded without adhering to the set benchmarks. This is an unethical step and affects loyal long-term employees who are more eligible and deserving.

At times, preferential treatments can also create a wrong sense of entitlement. Tardy heirs who are way below par in terms of qualification and experience ascend thrones that once belonged to experts and veterans. The end result can be as grave as public and costly legal disputes and mudslinging that end up ruining both professional and personal relationships.

So, what’s the final word?