C. Cho-o
It was a bad day for me yesterday (*15 March 2013). I’ve been working on my brother-in-law’s tomb at Naga Cemetery, Dimapur for the last three days and my experience with a tile mistiri has compelled me to write these few lines to create awareness among the innocent public like me who live at the mercy of tricky masons to get our works done. I contacted this Tiles mistiri a couple of days ago whom I hired yesterday* for a day’s work at Rs.3000 (because I did not know the rate). He turned up with two boys and left in the pretext of attending to his injured friend who supposedly met with a bike accident. Then at the close of the day he came to collect the wages for what he did not do. Just before we left the spot I was having a casual chat with him about the rate on tiles works. He said, “Rs. 35, 45, even 60 per square feet.” The difference in figure caught my attention and asked him why different rates? To my surprise he replied, “depending on the person.” So I said, “What? You charge based on the economic status of the person you work for? Without any hesitance, he responded, “YES.” Now, the shock was when he charged me Rs.4000 for a day’s work for two boys that he brought to work for me. Earlier it was a casual talk but this time it was exchange of words in a different tone. My first question was, “The first mason along with two helpers that I hired for the last two days cost me only Rs.1550 only, how can your two boys earn Rs.2000 each a day (working for 7 hours)? He boldly replied, “Others are earning even Rs.5000 per day.” I said, “Ok, then you must be a millionaire? But my second question is, why did you say you’ll charge me Rs.3000 for the work and now Rs.4000 which is completed in seven hours, not by you but by your two boys?” He said, “I never said I will charge you Rs.3000. I said, Rs.3000 or 4000 or 6000.” I stopped arguing with him because in all my life I have never heard of a liar saying, “I’m lying.” I didn’t want to lose my breath and energy because I was at the verge of losing my money too!
The other group of people are those “first class” daily wage earners standing on the road side and gas stations in Purana Bazaar area. These people don’t even look at you unless you go and request them to work for you. The first thing they ask is what kind of work? If you say, jugali work, they promptly reply Rs.300 per day. I was told by a mason friend that the actual wage for these people is Rs.200 per day but they charge Rs.300 on their own and expect us to pick them up for work and drop them back after the work. I really don’t know what has gone wrong in Nagaland? Are we spoiling them? Are they manipulating us? Is there no one, no authority concerned to check this menace?
As I drove home, a serious question kept ringing in my mind: “Who controls the rate? Who controls the rate? and who controls the rate?...” I could not figure out who controls the rate and felt so helpless! I was also skeptical if anybody would care and take preventive measures if I lodge a complaint before any authority? Therefore, I’m sincerely calling all victims like me to come out openly and protest against this evil practice among people we work with for various jobs. Let’s not remain silent spectators and be victimized by these parasites. Parasites are those who eat up and ultimately kill the trees that they embrace. Let’s not be deceived by those who work “for” us because most of the time they work against us in seemingly helping manner. One suggestion out of my experience is this, never hire any mason (or any professional worker or laborer) before fixing the rate be it thika or hajira. Do not trust a stranger. Be careful with even those whom you work with very frequently because many of these wage earners and thikadars take advantage of our kindness. On the other hand, there are many honest and faithful ones too. Please encourage them to influence others with their ideals. You can be a spark for the fire of change in Nagaland; I can be a drop in the sea of transformation in Nagaland. We only need to have the will power. “Let us rise and build!”
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