next »

[shahrukh]

The blind and often physically challenged men who sell small items and kitsch by the roadside have no other means of income apart from being salesmen. There are times when they even get cheated by customers who offer them incorrect amount notes and then disappear and the poor men are left struggling. It is extremely difficult to be handicapped and illiterate in India, and manage to earn a decent income. The next time you think of cheating these poor men/women, think twice and pay them what they ask for. It will brighten their day and make you feel good.

7. Roadside passbook cover/pen vendors

[shahrukh]

Most societies and apartment complexes in India have their own team of plumbers and electricians and the rates charged are as per rate cards. However, if you call an electrician and plumber on your own, you somehow end up bargaining for the tiniest amounts. If you are so miserly, instead of making the electrician/plumber run around to purchase the faulty parts, buy the parts yourself and try fixing the device. You'll realise the pain and effort that goes into their task. And if you cannot do it, shut up and pay the man what he deserves.

8. Plumbers and electricians

[shahrukh]

The men who come to paint your house live a tough life. They live with the smell of paint and varnish day in and day out. They make your house beautiful. And yet their efforts are never valued. They never even get to live in the sort of houses they paint. Appreciate their efforts and applaud them. Give them what they rightly deserve, without skimping.

9. Painters

[shahrukh]

If you've ever been to a mountainous pilgrimage in India, you will know who we are talking about. Doli-wallahs assist those who cannot climb up to the temple at the top of the mountain. They carry these men in wooden chairs/small swing-like structures attached with bamboo poles. Their task is difficult and rigorous and they are generally incapacitated for 4-5 days after each trip. They barely earn Rs 1000 per head for each trip, of which they have to manage their food and give some amount to the organisation that recruits them. It is an arduous task for which they hardly earn anything. Plus, these sites are located in places where there is little or no scope for them to earn via other means. Be kind and do not bargain with them. Give them the fees because no amount can ever do justice to the efforts of these guys.

10. Doli-wallahs