No stigma: Graduates line up to be coolies
The latest job the 21-year old third year student - who has also finished a course in computer hardware - has applied for is that of the post of a licensed porter in Central Railway.
By Shreya Bhandary, TNN |
MUMBAI: BCom student Ganesh Sanap is now busy applying for jobs. The latest job the 21-year old third year student - who has also finished a course in computer hardware - has applied for is that of the post of a licensed porter in Central Railway.
‘‘ As long as I get a job which pays me a decent sum, I don’t mind working as a coolie,’’ Sanap said on Monday, after a test of his physical endurance at the Parel Railway Workshop grounds. The student of K J Somaiya, however , has not yet informed his parents . ‘‘ As long as I’m not doing anything illegal, I don’t see why my parents would object,’’ he added. Sanap was not the only person - looking to become a graduate soon - who was there at Parel, competing for a porter’s job. There were, in fact, many more people - like Sagar Deshmukh and Madhav Avhad - who graduated a couple of years back but still came to apply for a porter’s job on Monday.
For Narendra Kudalkar (26), a long phase of unemployment led him to try out his luck. Earlier , he used to work as a supervisor at a construction site before he was thrown out of the job without any reason. ‘‘ I never got a permanent post anywhere after that. I’m hoping to land a job here,’’ said Kudalkar.
Sanap and Kudalkar are among the 1,311 applicants - many of them graduates with additional professional qualifications - vying for 79 jobs that don’t guarantee them any income every day. The applicants have to go through a stringent process before being sent for the final selection . After finishing a 1,500-metre run in seven minutes, the applicants are sent for a medical screening. ‘‘ Half of the applicants turn up for the medical tests and only those who pass that test are eligible for the post,’’ Central Railway PRO Anil K Singh said.
The long list of applications coming from graduates doesn’t come as a surprise to the railways . ‘‘ Many of these porters don’t even stick to the rates specified by the union and end up raking in extra money. Moreover, they also get promotions on a regular basis,’’ Singh said. Former railway minister Lalu Prasad had introduced a scheme through which porters could be promoted as railway gangmen. ‘‘ Once they get hired as a porter, they can look forward to the job of a gangman. This is the main attraction for all the applicants,’’ added Singh.
But many applicants were not happy with the stringent procedures . ‘‘ We were made to run 200 metres in 40 seconds with 40 kgs on our back. It is an impossible task,’’ graduate applicant Sagar said.But railway officials say it is a very important procedure.
‘‘ As long as I get a job which pays me a decent sum, I don’t mind working as a coolie,’’ Sanap said on Monday, after a test of his physical endurance at the Parel Railway Workshop grounds. The student of K J Somaiya, however , has not yet informed his parents . ‘‘ As long as I’m not doing anything illegal, I don’t see why my parents would object,’’ he added. Sanap was not the only person - looking to become a graduate soon - who was there at Parel, competing for a porter’s job. There were, in fact, many more people - like Sagar Deshmukh and Madhav Avhad - who graduated a couple of years back but still came to apply for a porter’s job on Monday.
For Narendra Kudalkar (26), a long phase of unemployment led him to try out his luck. Earlier , he used to work as a supervisor at a construction site before he was thrown out of the job without any reason. ‘‘ I never got a permanent post anywhere after that. I’m hoping to land a job here,’’ said Kudalkar.
Sanap and Kudalkar are among the 1,311 applicants - many of them graduates with additional professional qualifications - vying for 79 jobs that don’t guarantee them any income every day. The applicants have to go through a stringent process before being sent for the final selection . After finishing a 1,500-metre run in seven minutes, the applicants are sent for a medical screening. ‘‘ Half of the applicants turn up for the medical tests and only those who pass that test are eligible for the post,’’ Central Railway PRO Anil K Singh said.
The long list of applications coming from graduates doesn’t come as a surprise to the railways . ‘‘ Many of these porters don’t even stick to the rates specified by the union and end up raking in extra money. Moreover, they also get promotions on a regular basis,’’ Singh said. Former railway minister Lalu Prasad had introduced a scheme through which porters could be promoted as railway gangmen. ‘‘ Once they get hired as a porter, they can look forward to the job of a gangman. This is the main attraction for all the applicants,’’ added Singh.
But many applicants were not happy with the stringent procedures . ‘‘ We were made to run 200 metres in 40 seconds with 40 kgs on our back. It is an impossible task,’’ graduate applicant Sagar said.But railway officials say it is a very important procedure.
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