RealChowkidar – ‘It Mustn’t Remain Jumla’
Meet Ranjit Rai, a 36-year-old security guard from a small town in Jharkhand. He is thankful to Narendra Modi’s #MainBhiChowkidar campaign for bringing chokidars into the limelight.
I am an ATM security guard. I have been in the ‘security line’ for about a decade. So, yes I belong to the ‘chowkidar’ community that is in vogue now, be it television channels or political campaigns. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign may not have changed any ground situation for the ‘chowkidars’ but at least his slogan has put the spotlight on our thankless work.
Another positive thing is that now I find a little pride in saying that ‘main chowkidar hoon’; there is no longer any lowliness attached to my vocation. I find it surprisingly funny how it took a comment by the prime minister for people to finally spare a thought for the likes of us.
Hopefully, with so much debate about us these days, things will change for better when the new government is formed. I can only pray that ‘Chowkidar’ doesn’t remain a ‘chunaav ka jumla’ (political slogan).
Earlier, I used to work in a sweet shop. Those were hard times. As a security guard, my life improved a notch better. I work in an 8-hour-shift every day. I get my salary on time unlike many others. However, I continue to be a part of India’s vast unorganised sector. My salary is Rs 10,000 a month, which is just not enough to support a family of six (even in a small town like ours).
Both BJP and the Opposition have got a conversation started about the unorganized sector and I am thankful for that. However, I wouldn’t want my children to join this profession. Things move very slowly in the unorganised sector. I am trying to provide them with good education in the hope of a better future. However, sometimes it gets difficult to make ends meet. Our expenses are shooting through the roof and my salary is just not enough. Our work deserves respect. During demonetisation, it was us, the real chowkidars, who had to handle massive crowds of angry and impatient people. With the risk involved and the hectic schedule, our salaries should definitely be increased.
Whichever party forms the government, it needs to think about bringing us ‘chowkidars’ completely under the organised sector so that we get on-job facilities as well as post-retirement benefits. Besides this, functional CCTV cameras and air conditioners in ATMs, (especially in semi-urban and rural areas) would make our lives a tad easier.
