I HAVE penned these lines on behalf of a janitor who works in my neighbourhood. He says that he is thankful to the residents of DHA and Clifton for him being employed by the Clifton Cantonment Board although on contract basis. The janitor has also given vent to some of his woes.

He says that he wears slippers instead of safety shoes and covers his nose and mouth with a muffler instead of a mask. When the mercury drops he also covers his head with the same muffler.

The janitor picks up dirt and debris with his bare hands, and every now and then also carts away the carcasses of dead animals with his naked hands. For his toil from morning till evening he is paid Rs12,000 per month instead of the minimum legal wage of Rs17,500. He is eternally grateful to the CBC for this kindness and does not grudge them the fact that he is denied a pension, as well as EOBI and social security payments.

The janitor also stays quiet when his salary is deducted for taking a day off for falling sick because he desperately needs this job to feed his family. This is why he does dare ask why he is paid Rs5,500 less than the minimum legal wage and whether someone is pocketing the difference.

His only objective is to pay the rent for a hovel and feed his family. The younger two children are sick and in dire need of medicine and good nutrition. The janitor is praying on bent knees that they survive winter.

Almost all who live in DHA and Clifton where the janitor works pretend as if he and his kind do not exist. Perhaps they have more important things to attend to, like attending a seminar on human rights, in a posh hotel. However, just once I wish someone would stop and ask after their welfare and the sort of lives that they lead.

Ghulam Shakir

Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2020