This dignified couple lived in the slum housing outside my condo in Gurugram, India.
[Right-Click Here to Enlarge Photo]
Ambitious domestic helper
I met the man (named “Islam”) on the day I moved into my new condo. He introduced himself and offered his services as a domestic helper. He spoke basic but understandable English, and seemed like an ambitious man, so I hired him on the spot.
For the next 3 years, he cleaned my home, washed my car, and occasionally helped me out in various other ways.
Ambitions fulfilled … in certain ways
A few years previously, they had come from West Bengal. They had moved more than halfway across northern India, with hopes of making a better living in the thriving new metropolis of Gurugram.
After a few years, however, they realized that they had had a better life in their home community. So, they packed up, boarded an old, slow train, and made the trip back to their home in West Bengal.
A man’s home is his castle
In the above photo taken from my 19th-floor condo, you can see the mini-slum in which Islam, his wife, and 3 kids lived. Their tiny room was directly beneath the large tree in the bottom-right corner.
Islam had told me over and over again that he just wanted to have enough money to build his own home. I lost contact with him, but I hope his family is now comfortable in their own home on their own land.
Those who have a home in Bengal normally save up and go home. But a lot of the domestic help in Gurgaon are from Bangladesh. As such they have no home to return to. These people stay on in Gurgaon working the worst jobs in the most terrible conditions.
I see you stayed in Regency Park! The two besides each other are the biggest injustice and a perfect example of the terrible wealth distribution in India.
The rich and the very poor. India has a long way to go before we can call ourselves developed.
Indeed, that's the one lasting image I have of India ... the wealth gap. Even though most of my white-collar colleagues saw it as simply a fact of life in India, I found it unconscionable.
Re your statement about "from Bangaldesh," several people told me the same thing. When I told them my domestic helper came from "West Bengal," various people told me that they most likely came from Bangladesh.
Apparently, there are many places where they can cross the border into India, and then make their way to Kolkata, Delhi, or beyond.
People have been going back and forth forever. Just because some humans draw a line on a map it won't stop people from meeting their relatives in the other side!
Right. Lines drawn on maps (drawn by fools, I might add) will not prevent people from moving and will not prevent people from wanting to be with their families or wanting to get ahead.
At the same time, similar lines drawn by fools can lead to horrible discord and carnage ... as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh know so well.
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The story in this portrait, for me, is more important than the the portrait itself. Islam really looks like an ambitious man. His eyes tells the whole story, the story of his ambition, the story of the great inequality in India.
Your interesting posts about the People of India and the Children of India are also relevant to this conversation. It is disturbing that a slum lies below your lush, towering condo. However, I am impressed that you were humble and human enough to hire Islam and even pay a visit to his little home. If the politicians in India were like you, the living conditions would have improved.
An interesting anecdote that I did not include in this short post is thatthe little slum complex was owned by a upper-caste / upper class man who lived in one of the condo units.
He did not own the land, of course, but simply built the slum housing right on the public land outside the wall of the condo grounds. So, he was making a decent monthly income from land that he did not own.
And the "housing" he had built was nothing more than brick walls and corrugated metal roofing. With one single water faucet for the 200+ people who lived there.
Kinda pathetic ... but that's India.
These are quite interesting revelations, really. It is unfortunate that greed will not allow some humans show the grain of humanity in them. What more can one say of a man who collects rent for a land he does not own and from one of the poorest people in the world. Pathetic.
PS: I am aware that you currently live in Thailand but I am surprised that you still keep several old pictures from India, like the one shared now.
A lot of immigrants from Villages come to the city so that they can earn more and live a better life. They tend to forget that life in the villages is much more comfortable and less expensive.
In order to fulfill their dreams of living a better lifestyle they lose their freedom and work for meager wages. Living in villages is far more better eventhough there is less technology and civilization, reason being its the natural way to live life and it is the most healthy way as well .
Most of these immigrants leave their family traditional way of earning of farming and work in the cities with less peace and money, but more ambition and goals, which makes them work extra hours. They live in very small houses which is very uncomfortable and sad to see.
I believe they should get educated in farming and reap rewards for the best occupation in the world ...Farming. Do let me know if you feel otherwise or if "Islam" was living a worthwhile life in Gurugram ?
Apart from the money, Islam had no reason to live in Gurgaon, and that's why he and his family returned home. Of course, he earned a little bit more money in Gurgaon, but the cost of living in Gurgaon is much higher than that in his hometown.
As for farming, I agreed it's a great occupation and one that is necessary (even though I came from a rural community in Canada, and was glad to escape it. ☺ )
Unfortunately, the big agri-biz / seed / fertilizer companies have had a deleterious effect on farmers in India, to such an extent that many farmers can hardly make a living for themselves and their families.
(And just recently, I've heard there's a similar horrible trend in the US. Sad)
The state of farmers is very bad. However I believe this is happening because they are not educated. If they get proper guidance and if our governments are not corrupt they will do really good. What the politicians are forgetting here is if the farmers fade away, we will have no food to consume :(
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I think positive work with all devotion has always perfect result.so if Islaam and his family are hard working they can get what they want similarly many people in world can do like this to achieve their goal.
I do hope he was able to build his own home.
Nice people on the first photo, very beautiful
Thanks. They were very nice people, too. Very poor and uneducated, but decent people nevertheless.
Everyone creates his own destiny. I hope that the aspiration of Islam will help make the life of our family happy. Good luck to you and Love.
is Islam driving a taxi in Gurgaon @majes.tytyty ?
No, as I wrote, he returned to West Bengal. But when he was in Gurgaon, he sometimes drove a rickshaw, but he didn't really like doing that.
great post. thanks for share about this room.
Nice picture.
Please follow me and like my post
nice couple sir..
Nice post.
Please follow me and upvote me.i am new here.please follow me.
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We all have some hard times in our life and then after hard work and continuous struggle we change that hard time into success, maybe Islam too have done that, who knows, but we should always hope for good.