Almost all of the security guards at IIIT-H are my friends. I planned to talk to one of them today. His name is Kumar Swami. I asked him (In Hindi), “Can I talk to you bhaiyya for some time if you are free?”.
Oh Yes Sure, he said.
I will ask you a few questions, would you like to answer them for me?
Yes please ask.
Why do you want to ask me questions bhaiyya, he asked.
I want to know about you that how you live and I will let others also know about it, I said.
OK bhaiyya ask me whatever you want, he said with a pleasant smile on his face.
What is your name?
Kumar Swami
Which place do you belong to?
Warangal (Parakkal)
Are you married?
Yes, I have two children.
Where in Hyderabad you live?
Masid Banda.
How much IIIT-H gives you (salary)?
7500 Rs per month.
How much is your house rent?
1500 Rs.
What are your work timings?
It is 12 hours a day. Sometimes day shift and sometimes night shift. 8 to 8.
How many days a week you work?
7 days a week.
I was amazed! I was thinking he will say 6 days, but 7 days a week, 12 hours a day duty is too much!
In which class your kids study?
One is in 1st class and other is in 2nd.
Which school they are in?
Shri Rama Public School.
What is their school fees?
2000 Rs per month for both.
Your wife also works?
Yes, she does stitching.
How much she is able to earn?
1000 Rs per month.
What your parents do?
They are in agriculture.
How much land you do they have in warangal?
A big piece of land.
Why did you migrate to Hyderabad?
No job available in Warangal.
How do you manage your family with money you and your wife earn?
In total we earn: 7500 + 1000 = 8500 Rs.
Out of which (per month expenditure), 1500 for rent, 2000 for school fees of kids, 2000 food expenditure, 500 Rs for travelling in public transport, others and around 1000 to 2000 Rs I save in bank.
Are you happy doing this job?
Not really. In this job I have very less time to sleep, very less time to take care of my health, my eating habits and timings have gone bad, I eat at 6 in the morning and come here and sometimes I have lunch in the afternoon otherwise directly dinner, I am left with no time for my family and other things even if I want to do them.
How are you relationships with your family members at home?
They are good.
Do you smoke or drink?
No
What did you want to become in your life?
After I completed my studies I wanted to settle in life, wanted to do a job or businness.
What would you like to become in your next birth?
A big officer.
How students, staff, faculty etc. treat you here?
They treat me well. Students call me bhaiyya and staff and faculty are also good. Faculty and staff call me “Security”.
Do they give you respect?
Yes.
What do you think about people? How do you find students and faculty here?
Everybody is good.
Here I stopped asking anymore questions. I said, “I am very happy to talk to bhaiyya. You are an inspiration for us in many ways “.
He was sitting on his chair, I requested him to get up and then I gave him a “Jadoo ki Jhappi”.
He was quite happy, my eyes were also slightly moist.
This is where we finished our conversation.
I will not write my personal views or interpretation on this conversation. It is left on the reader to read and interpret their ways.
Tribulations of A Fledgling Mind 
devansh munnabhai style 😀
Devansh,
Firstly, my appreciations for talking to a fellow human in the institute with a good intention. It is really pathetic to see that they need to work for (12*7)=84 hour a week. I just wanted to know if the labour laws allow one employ a person for such a strigent work schedule. I think it is 48hrs/week, with a max of 12hrs/week overtime. This would mean a max of 60 hours under extreme conditions.
Besides, organisations associated can do a little bit to make their job bit more interesting and meaningful. I find the security person idle most of the time. They need both physical and mental nourushment programs as a part of their work.
Regards,
Sreenivasa
I think its really kind of the security guard to say that everybody respects him at work. Sometimes some of the students don’t. I have been a culprit of that when I was in college.
As for making their jobs interesting, I think IIIT is doing a good job here. Many security staff at IIIT have computer systems allotted to them. They make use of them by watching movies, music videos etc. Sometimes some of the guards also get involved in more meaningful activities like blogging, learning HTML from online resources etc.
Thanks for the comment Aniket 🙂
I was planning to arrange some books for Security Guards which they can read in their free time.
@Ojasvi:
Thanks for the comment 🙂
@Shrinivasa:
Thanks for the comment and appreciation 🙂
When I was in my office sometime back. I had given a few good books to house keeping. This way they could utilize their free time in knowing and learning. I think here also we can do something like this. Lets discuss sometime about it.
Hey… really nice post 🙂
Thanks for the comment and compliments 🙂
waah ! lage raho devu bhai 😀
Btw are you in hyd on nov 7th,8th etc.,
chalo is bar joint interview lete hain kisi ka 🙂
Great to know that you are coming!
Give me pleasure to be your host at IIIT-H. Now I have joined PhD at IIIT-H in Humanities department. My room number is NBH 55. You are welcome at anytime.
Nice Post 🙂
Its really touching.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
Keep reading and commenting 🙂
Takes courage to do what you did, esp. the open embrace. Hats off, pal! How’s the new chapter of life (PhD in humanities) treating you, by the bye?
Takes courage to do what you did, particularly the open embrace. Hats off, pal! By the bye, how’s the new chapter of life (PhD in humanities) treating you?
Thanks for the comments and compliments 🙂
I find a lot of contribution in my life by you for which I am thankful to you.
PhD is going good. I am happy studying all these subjects. Since I am studying all that which I am interested in so it feels like I am enjoying a long vacation. I am being paid for enjoying a long holiday. Really it is a very enriching experience here. The more I learn the more I realize, how less I know and how much more is there to know and share.
This is a great post which tells about a great way of connecting with one’s fellow being.
Its inspiring in many ways! 🙂
Thanks a lot for the comment and appreciation 🙂
Which year, batch you are in? I am doing PhD in Humanities.
With Regards,
Devansh
Nice post sir,
Though I don’t write blogs…:( but even I took one interview of one security guard one day. He stand out of Patni cafetaria. He had once worked for IIIT too. The similarity b/w him and the person you mentioned is both were happy with their work. But I think it is the most boring work one can ever do. Seriously 12 hours a day just for security is too much. As Aniket mentioned about music, videos,etc and as You mentioned about books, these things are MUST for them to have otherwise God knows how do they do their jobs, hats off to them….:)).
P.S: I didn’t take interview, it was my general style of interacting…:((
Thanks a lot for the comment Amit 🙂
Keep reading and commenting and keep interacting with people around you.
HI Devansh,
First of thank you so much to touch upon such neglectful, yet sensitive issues of our society.
And Smart step is act on it.
There are really 2ways:
1)Most easy- to provide them book or other things – And already you have have thought of it.
2)Most Productive – To provide them job which they can simultaneously do – this will bring additional income to them.
Remember, In Stay hungary stay foolish, anIIMgrad incubated idea to employ “person disable in speaking” in courier services.
Such creative things need to identify for watchmans/security guards which can serve as both economically and personally to their lives.
In our society, fighting a social problem is not an issue but to combat a problem smartly is the need of the hour.
Hope we can understand what i meant.
thanks again 4 Nice post as u write always 🙂
cheers,
Nihit
Hi Devansh,
Really good one. It makes people to think.
I started reading this by thinking will read few lines and finish it later. But it did not allow me to stop in middle.
One thing is sure that if people read this article, they will/should start giving more respect to their surrounding people.