By profession I am an Interior Designer.In 2006 mid, I established my firm called ‘en trance’ .. I design commercial and high end residential projects and of course if something interesting (not always known as commercial or high end residential) comes on the way!
The above small introduction part was only to support a stand to what I am expressing here is not myth, fiction, and is a true experience!
Its about the period feb/mar 2008.. very close to holi festival.. in Maharashtra ..in India
Generally we people that is designers, architects, civil engineers, builders.. we have migrants as labor from Uttar Pradesh mostly, for executing our interior projects.
Its been long since UP people have massive hold over services like plaster of paris work(pop), paint, carpentry etc. as compared to other maharashtrian labor(the one who lives in maharashtra and of any cast/creed) why???? Why we have migrants?? Why we have labor of UP for our work??
Well I don’t know.. may be the tradition!
But with my experience I realized the reasons behind their migration and a strong hold in the industry!
Yes, they are far more efficient, superior than any other local ones.
I am a witness to their work of more than 12 hours per day.
I am a witness to their attitudes of perfection without any complaints.
I am a witness to their nature of adjustments.. towards money, time.. yes they are poor with rich hearts!
I am a witness to the local maharashtrian labor who needed my extra attention to get things done.
Actually countless comparisons!
If to judge things by each individual and their attitudes, surely it might not be true in each case.. but I am talking masses.
I am not trying to speak any particular region. Not at all. I am still an Indian, may be for that matter I am still a Maharashtrian….
But yes it’s a fact, that UP labor is preferred over local ones in maharashtra!
many of the architects, designers, colleagues will agree or disagree here..
anyways I am here to speak on behalf of those UP labor and a unfair game happened to them, to us!
Local politicians (??!! Most of people know which political body) all of sudden one day decided to throw UP migrants out of maharahstra! Yes it was all of sudden……….. and who knows the exact reason for doing it so?
Few said local labor must be at work.
Few said its all about their non maharashtrian attitudes! (first explain me what is maharashtrian attitude?)
Few said one has no right to work so good being migrant..
This conflict resulted into obvious riots.. a second planned thing by political party!
Imagine if things ever get solve without that..?
I could see on television the way some taxi drivers were beaten in mumbai.. their cars were damaged.. for nothing actually! I bet most of them were not from UP also.. they were suffering.. blood, fire, glass, stones, hockey sticks.. Violence was at peak! Curfew went on for long 4 weeks in pune! Karvenagar, varje malvadi areas of pune where all these UP labor stays were under tight custody of this so called politicians. They were not allowed to come out of their houses. the only left option was to go back! Go back to Uttar Pradesh or anywhere. you can no more stay in maharashtra! Imagine trains were flooded with these migrants! Few other political bodies went on railway stations to console, ask them to stay.. but these people had decided to go back.. to save their lives.. tell me, who wants to live so "unwanted?!"
Some of them thought to return after holi festival.. after few days, when things get peaceful again.. holi is there dear festival to visit home, meet wife, children ,celebrate.. who knew they will be visiting such a way? My head carpenter said his colleague’s one hand was cut totally in riot……..
At our end, things were never so cold dead before. Unthinkable 4 weeks without labor. Development was totally at loss. may be today tomorrow these people will earn their bread butter elsewhere. but we(maharshtra) are at permanent loss of this skillful labor and for that matter true development. A good team is not build up every now and then! With temporary labor we carried our respective works then… but I cannot imagine the repetition..
Today things have got down to routine.. few of the people are back.. few aren’t.. few I am clueless!
Yes I am still searching one painter of my team. I wish nothing has gone wrong with him. I wish he is safe.
This left many questions behind to me about human rights!
Right to work, right to choose, right to live in peace.. I am still exploring things as Indian in global world..
We call ourselves educated.. but what more we can do when someone is in trouble, when injustice happen so ruthlessly, when it happens to our own people? what I could do for those 4 weeks ?? nothing substantial!
Sometime back I read in newspaper the guilty person is going to be punished.. I am still waiting for it to happen…………….. may be they still need to learn lessons of ‘live and let live’!
At our end, things were never so cold dead before. Unthinkable 4 weeks without labor. Development was totally at loss. may be today tomorrow these people will earn their bread butter elsewhere. but we(maharshtra) are at permanent loss of this skillful labor and for that matter true development. A good team is not build up every now and then! With temporary labor we carried our respective works then… but I cannot imagine the repetition..
Today things have got down to routine.. few of the people are back.. few aren’t.. few I am clueless!
Yes I am still searching one painter of my team. I wish nothing has gone wrong with him. I wish he is safe.
This left many questions behind to me about human rights!
Right to work, right to choose, right to live in peace.. I am still exploring things as Indian in global world..
We call ourselves educated.. but what more we can do when someone is in trouble, when injustice happen so ruthlessly, when it happens to our own people? what I could do for those 4 weeks ?? nothing substantial!
Sometime back I read in newspaper the guilty person is going to be punished.. I am still waiting for it to happen…………….. may be they still need to learn lessons of ‘live and let live’!
