Dignity of Labor in Gandhian Perspective

Gandhiji happened to read Ruskin’s “Unto the Last” during the train journey in South Africa. Its impact on Gandhiji was phenomenal. Gandhiji found three doctrines of universal welfare (Sarvodaya) from this book. Welfare of all is our welfare; the work of a barber and lawyer should be equally evaluated because the right of livelihood is equal for all; simple and laborious life of a farmer is the real life.

Gandhiji set up Phoenix Ashram (hermitage) in south-Africa to apply these doctrines in daily practice. In 1937 Mahatma Gandhi published an article in his weekly Magazine ‘Harijan’ about his viewpoints on the implanted education system in India. In this context Wardha Education Conference was held on October 22 and 23, 1937, the following three basic resolutions were passed: (a) Nationwide Free and Compulsory Education for 7 years (b) Mother Tongue will be the medium of instruction (c) Education will be centered around some manual or productive work, not just for degree and examination. Based upon this meeting at Wardha, a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Zakir Hussain was formed. The Committee submitted the first extensive National Basic Education Scheme in its report in March 1938, which is known as the Wardha Scheme of Basic Education. It is also called as Nai Talim/Basic Education/Buniyadi Talim (Shiksha).

Dignity of Labor is  at the core of Gandhiji philosophy of education which holds currency in contemporary world.  The dignity of labour is the philosophical holding that all types of jobs are respected equally, and no occupation is considered superior and none of the jobs should be discriminated on any basis. Every job, whether it’s a street sweeper or a scientist, contributes to our society. We often think that people who do physical work are less important, but that is not right. Imagine a day without the garbage collector, or a day when the farmers don’t work. It would cause lots of problems. So, every job has its own worth, its own dignity. It’s the hard work that matters, not the type of work. When we respect all jobs and the people who do them, it creates a society where everyone feels valued and respected.

As Teacher Educator I had the opportunity to visit hundreds of schools. I vaguely recall teachers drilling anecdotes relating to honesty, punctuality, cleanliness and other values – pushed to the forefront to draw out best in the child. I saw one value missing in my entire school visits. It was dignity of labour. The value of believing that all work is equal and respectable, none superior to the other. The realization first hit me in school at Kargil. I observed one student Raza who on the eve of his birthday was moving from class to class, distributing sweets among teachers, ignoring the peons. A sanitary worker who had seen him grow for 12 long years asked Raza to share some sweets with him. Raza obliged, though unwillingly and came home to tell his grand-mother, “That sanitary worker stopped me and asked for few sweets! Why? He is not a teacher!” Raza’s grand-mother serenely responded, “Raza, how important do you think the sanitary worker’s job is?” It was a simple question and yet, he baffled. The grand-mother delineated the role of sanitary staff. They are in charge of the cleanliness of the school. They sweep and swab the halls and classrooms till the floor sheens. They dust the window panes, desks, tables and railings. They keep the washrooms clean and tidy. They wash up spilled food and muck. If they stop working in the school, the place would turn into a damned mess. No child would be motivated to go to school if its sanitary condition is in a state of mess. Who would want to work like that? Only Superheroes – their contribution to the world is invisible. The second round of counseling was conducted by his grand-father Abbas. Raza gave him a patient hearing. Abbas said, “Every job is vital.

Imagine a school bus ride without a conductor. He helped you to cross the busy road when you dropped from the school bus, the van uncle takes your little brother from point A to B so that he reaches the school on time, the teacher is making sure that you expand your thought process, knowledge and capability, the canteen uncle makes sure that you are not hungry, the watchman is making sure that you’re safe in a school compound.  Abbas added; If you feel that dignity of labour is a value that you need to learn – start small. Begin with nurturing respect. Understand hardships, motivation and performance. Take it from there. Charity begins from home. It lies in washing your plate after eating a meal, filling water in the jug, cleaning your washroom or just replacing the empty toilet roll, dusting the furniture, washing and ironing  the clothes, setting the bed- sheets, cooking a meal. That these individual chores hold immense value. And so do all chores outside the house. This discourse with grand-parents changed the course of Raza’s interactions with people. He would now smile at and acknowledge all he came across. The “Good morning” wasn’t only said by him to his teachers and classmates but also to the keepers, peons, watchmen and watchwomen. This experience in school helped Raza see the nuances in perception held by his peers, family members and friends. On the note of choosing automobile trade in class 11^th, Raza was asked by many friends who furrowed their noses, “Why automobile repairing? Do you want to become an motor mechanic?” This lead Raza to another realization – that there is a huge societally deemed distinction between service and contribution. It is service when your job falls into the service sector. Otherwise, it’s a contribution to the world. What would you do if the airplane you’re seated in takes off without the cabin crew? There would be nobody to understand and answer your in-flight worries, address and take care of flight safety, inform and update you about turbulence, serve you meals and snacks, conduct periodic safety checks, detect suspicious behavior and evidence of malevolent intent to prevent dangers such as terrorism – all while communicating with you in a sensitive and reverential manner.  Everyone desires to have a while-collared job. “Physical labour is meant for the less educated, lower rung of people”- that is a shared thought with most of the well-educated affluent class. Physical labour? Why should I do it? I am an educated person. Physical labour is meant for the servant, the laborers!’

Once a table was obstructing the passage to a zonal education officer’s room. A senior officer happened to visit him. “Why is that table in corridor ?” asked the senior. “Sir, the peon is on leave” was the pat reply. “Don’t worry, I will do it.” said the senior as he moved the table away. In working families living in Metros, servants are a big asset and problem both. All kinds of pampering has to be done so that they do not take leave, otherwise fights start in the house over who will do the work of the servant. The wife wants the husband to help, but he will not. The utensils remain unwashed and clothes pile up in the washing bag. The hell will break loose if the servant remains absent for a few more days. Another offshoot of this hate of physical work is ill-health. We start gaining weight and become more vulnerable to diseases like hypertension and heart ailments. Physical labour brushes us of our false ego. Initially, we may feel uncomfortable, but once we remove our outer shell of this ego, we feel unburdened. If we sweat while engaging in some menial work, we don’t become a lesser intellectual. Rather, it brings a sense of pride. For example we live in downtown area, I tell my little daughter to take the broom and brush the drain outside our house while I pour water.

We do not wait for SMC men to keep our surroundings clean. Sometimes I invite the SMC men to our home for a cup of tea and share the table with them along with my family members.  I teach my children to address these SMC men with honor. The language stereotypes like addressing these dedicated men as ‘sheikh’, ‘watul’ have to be erased from our day to day discourse.  When it comes to daily schedules, for example most children today are used to the domestic help taking care of all their chores. As an accountable parent, you need to teach them that domestic servants are not to be ordered around — they are to be spoken to courteously and respected. Children should be made aware of all those who make life easier for them — they need to understand that while a guard, a sweeper or an office peon may not have as comfortable a job as either of their parents, all three have a vibrant role to play in society.  Impress upon your children that an honest living is a reputable living, whether it is made in a plush office or by the roadside. They need to acknowledge hard work.

Children tend to discuss their parents’ occupations and are sometimes ashamed of them because of what friends may say. The son of a street fruit vendor may wish his dad was an engineer like so-and-so’s, or a doctor Moreover, the children of domestic help are today growing up to obtain higher degrees and secure jobs in big multi-national companies (MNC) — for them to cope with their parents’ humble occupations of sweeping and scrubbing the homes of the affluent, or then manning the gate of a housing complex, is difficult. They need to realize that education isn’t the be-all and end-all of a respectable life; after all, it is through tough work that their parents were able to finance their academic activities. And they will come to realize this as soon as the stigma stringed to menial jobs is ditched. How will it be eradicated? By removing psychological and attitudinal barriers towards those who do menial jobs.  Whatever you want your children to learn and whatever you say, always remember that your actions speak louder than your words. They are watching you and learning from you all the time. So the best way to teach them anything is to model them yourself. You are your children’s best teacher and teaching them respect for others may be the best gift you ever give them.

“Under the spreading chestnut tree,

The village smithy stands;

The smith a mighty man is he,

With large and sinewy hands.

And the muscles of his brawny arms,

Are strong as iron bands.

He earns what’er he can,

His brow is wet with honest sweat,

And looks the whole world in the face,

For he owes not any man.”

(H L Longfellow)

Dr Showkat Rashid Wani, Senior Coordinator, Directorate of Distance Education University of Kashmir.