This morning, a question came to my mind as to what keeps people going in a routine mundane work life! Sometimes, I find it really hard to motivate myself do things that are boring, but I don't have a choice but to do it. I was reminded of the following article I read 4 years back that I had a copy saved:
GULBARGA, Wed Feb 23 2005: Her husband was the City Improvement Trust Board Chairman. Two of her sons have been chairpersons of gram panchayats. A daughter-in-law is the outgoing vice-chairperson of a gram panchayat. Above all, another daughter-in-law was the worshipful Mayor of the Gulbarga City Municipal Corporation.
But for Neelamma Valakeri the fact that her kith and kin figure in the city's who's who, has not cut her off from ground realities: she still deligently goes about her job of sweeping the dirty streets of Gulbarga.
In her own quiet, unpretentious way, this unusual Dalit pourakarmika is redefining the concept dignity of labour, putting to practice in letter and spirit the teaching of Lord Basaveshwara `Kayakave kailasa' (work is heaven).
Unembarassed and unapologetic, Neelamma has been on the job for the last three decades even when her daughter-in-law Gangubai Valakeri held the powerful post of mayor a few years ago.
In the 1980s when her husband Basavantrao Valakeri was appointed chairman of the CITB, now the equivalent of the chairmanship of the Gulbarga Urban Development Authority (GUDA), the then city municipal commissioner directed the sanitary inspector not to use Neelamma's services as it would be demeaning for the chairman's wife to be seen sweeping the streets.
``Nothing doing, I said. This was unethical. If she wanted to give up the job on her own it would be different. But just because she is my wife, she should not sweep the streets, is simply not acceptable,'' recalls Basavanat Rao Valakeri, Neelamma's 77-year-old husband.
Her work record is outstanding, putting her head and shoulders above her colleagues. A punctual worker, she begins her duties at 6 a.m.. Till 1 p.m. she is absorbed in her duties and can be seen sweeping the streets, collecting the garbage and cleaning out clogged drains.
``Rain or shine, she is on the job at 6 a.m. sharp. Her punctuality and dedication to work is amazing. Though I am somewhat embarrassed to take her roll call every morning, I can't escape it,'' remarks a sanitary inspector.
What compels Neelamma to continue to sweep the streets when it is neither inevitable nor necessary? Her children are all well placed in life with the eldest son Suryakumar, an LPG dealer. Her second son Jagadish Kumar was the chairman of Kusnoor Gram Panchayat for five years and his wife Anuradha is the outgoing vice chairman of a gram panchayat. Another son Pavan Kumar was the chairman of the Nandikur gram panchayat for 33 months and now runs a couple of `dhabhas'. All are comfortably off. But Neelamma is not.
``Their politics and posts are only limited to a certain term. But my vocation is permanent, until I get `vajeepha' (retirement),'' says Neelamma when asked why she was still at her job. Drawing a salary of about Rs.7000 per month, she has been able to construct a house at the Pourakarmika Colony in the city on a plot given by the Corporation.
``I never felt uneasy about sweeping the streets when my husband was CITB chief or when my daughter-in-law was mayor,'' says she. ``When Gangubai became mayor, she asked me to give up the job. But I refused. Instead, I told her to visit all the wards to supervise whether the pourakarmikas were performing their duties well,'' Neelamma, a primary dropout with 13 grand children, says proudly.
Such dedication to duty may run in the family as Neelamma's mother-in-law was also a pourakarmika, while her sister-in-law recently retired as one. And leave seems to be the last thing on her mind: she is not even aware of various types of leaves she is entitled to. She claims her work keeps her active and healthy. And in the process, she succeeds in making many others happy as well.
One can argue that there could be some ulterior motive for her to keep going to sweep the streets, her children don't care about her, any sane person would not go for such a job given her status etc. etc. Whatever her motive is, I am still feeling inspired by Neelamma! I salute her.
A wonderful quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. is very apt here:
" If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well'."
The attitude to work is more important than the work itself!
GULBARGA, Wed Feb 23 2005: Her husband was the City Improvement Trust Board Chairman. Two of her sons have been chairpersons of gram panchayats. A daughter-in-law is the outgoing vice-chairperson of a gram panchayat. Above all, another daughter-in-law was the worshipful Mayor of the Gulbarga City Municipal Corporation.
But for Neelamma Valakeri the fact that her kith and kin figure in the city's who's who, has not cut her off from ground realities: she still deligently goes about her job of sweeping the dirty streets of Gulbarga.
In her own quiet, unpretentious way, this unusual Dalit pourakarmika is redefining the concept dignity of labour, putting to practice in letter and spirit the teaching of Lord Basaveshwara `Kayakave kailasa' (work is heaven).
Unembarassed and unapologetic, Neelamma has been on the job for the last three decades even when her daughter-in-law Gangubai Valakeri held the powerful post of mayor a few years ago.
In the 1980s when her husband Basavantrao Valakeri was appointed chairman of the CITB, now the equivalent of the chairmanship of the Gulbarga Urban Development Authority (GUDA), the then city municipal commissioner directed the sanitary inspector not to use Neelamma's services as it would be demeaning for the chairman's wife to be seen sweeping the streets.
``Nothing doing, I said. This was unethical. If she wanted to give up the job on her own it would be different. But just because she is my wife, she should not sweep the streets, is simply not acceptable,'' recalls Basavanat Rao Valakeri, Neelamma's 77-year-old husband.
Her work record is outstanding, putting her head and shoulders above her colleagues. A punctual worker, she begins her duties at 6 a.m.. Till 1 p.m. she is absorbed in her duties and can be seen sweeping the streets, collecting the garbage and cleaning out clogged drains.
``Rain or shine, she is on the job at 6 a.m. sharp. Her punctuality and dedication to work is amazing. Though I am somewhat embarrassed to take her roll call every morning, I can't escape it,'' remarks a sanitary inspector.
What compels Neelamma to continue to sweep the streets when it is neither inevitable nor necessary? Her children are all well placed in life with the eldest son Suryakumar, an LPG dealer. Her second son Jagadish Kumar was the chairman of Kusnoor Gram Panchayat for five years and his wife Anuradha is the outgoing vice chairman of a gram panchayat. Another son Pavan Kumar was the chairman of the Nandikur gram panchayat for 33 months and now runs a couple of `dhabhas'. All are comfortably off. But Neelamma is not.
``Their politics and posts are only limited to a certain term. But my vocation is permanent, until I get `vajeepha' (retirement),'' says Neelamma when asked why she was still at her job. Drawing a salary of about Rs.7000 per month, she has been able to construct a house at the Pourakarmika Colony in the city on a plot given by the Corporation.
``I never felt uneasy about sweeping the streets when my husband was CITB chief or when my daughter-in-law was mayor,'' says she. ``When Gangubai became mayor, she asked me to give up the job. But I refused. Instead, I told her to visit all the wards to supervise whether the pourakarmikas were performing their duties well,'' Neelamma, a primary dropout with 13 grand children, says proudly.
Such dedication to duty may run in the family as Neelamma's mother-in-law was also a pourakarmika, while her sister-in-law recently retired as one. And leave seems to be the last thing on her mind: she is not even aware of various types of leaves she is entitled to. She claims her work keeps her active and healthy. And in the process, she succeeds in making many others happy as well.
One can argue that there could be some ulterior motive for her to keep going to sweep the streets, her children don't care about her, any sane person would not go for such a job given her status etc. etc. Whatever her motive is, I am still feeling inspired by Neelamma! I salute her.
A wonderful quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. is very apt here:
" If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well'."
The attitude to work is more important than the work itself!
