values – Musings of an eccentric mind

“A friend of mine married her driver… Hey! What’s wrong with that? Drivers are humans too!”

Indians, in general seem to segregate people into two categories. Those in desk and white collar jobs are considered elite. Labour and blue collar is somehow substandard. And people are given very low wages for performing these tasks.

Professionals and consultants bill their clients by the thousands for every hour. Why can’t skilled workers also be called professionals?

The other day, a mason who was fixing a crack on our wall said, “I believe in doing a good job. If you are satisfied with the quality of my work, you are likely to recommend my services to others.”

This mason took pride in his job. He didn’t go to a business school to learn about customer satisfaction and the difference between good marketing and cold selling. His charges were slightly higher than ‘normal’. We didn’t negotiate – much. After all, why shouldn’t he be allowed to?

I am certain that there is scope for individuals to charge a premium for a job well done. In other countries, a construction worker can lead a decent life — and by decent, I mean socially, not just financially. Isn’t it time we start imbibing those values in our society?

This is post #15 in this year’s NaBloPoMo, or as Ra calls it Nano Poblano