Case Studies

Rameshbhai (33) had joined SHARDA Trust's Driver's Training Programme with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately, he was destined to be disheartened as he had not got a job paying him his expected salary of Rs 3000 - 4000/- (three to four thousand rupees) a month. He had thus lost all his verve to work as a driver.

Apart from himself Rameshbhai's tiny two roomed apartment houses his wife, Viruben (25), his children, Manoj (8), Bhavna (3.5) and Arti (6 months). He had been a casual worker for the labour contractor of Anil Starch Mills while Viruben had always been a housewife.

In 1998, Rameshbhai had been on leave for three months as his eldest daughter Shilpa had been very ill. It was during that this period that he had attended a meeting of SHARDA Trust conducted in the slums of Sanjaynagar. There he had come to know all about the Driver's Training Programme. He had had an interest in being a driver, plus, had felt that the course was well organised. After the course, he had expected to bring in Rs 100 - 150/- (one hundred to one hundred fifty rupees) per day at a steady job in some reputed company. This, he had calculated would raise their standard of living and help him feed and clothe his family in a better manner. So, he had enrolled himself for the course.

After having taken the decision to join, he had applied for a further 3 - 4 months of leave. The he had paid Rs 1000/- (one thousand rupees) as the initial instalment of the fees to SHARDA Trust and had filled up the relevant forms.

Rameshbhai had then undergone training in The Life Driving School, where he learnt how to drive a Fiat, a Maruti car, a Maruti van as well as a Fronti. He is all praises for the immense patience with which they were taught. Whenever they made a mistake the trainer would make them repeat the manoeuvre till they had got it perfectly. He had never got irritated with them. This is a characteristic which Rameshbhai appreciates even today. He has also reported that although he had been satisfied with the duration of the training he had felt that one theory class per week was not enough. He had, of course learnt driving very well so he had been satisfied with the course.

After completing the training Rameshbhai had been employed as an apprentice at Torrent, courtesy SHARDA Trust. He had worked without taking even a day off from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Initially, he had commuted by bus but had quit this mode of transport for two reasons. To catch a bus he had to leave early ; moreover if he missed it taking a rickshaw had been a costly proposition. That's why, later on, he had started cycling to his place of work. Rameshbhai had got along well with everyone in Torrent, be it his driver colleagues or the peons or the supervisors.

They had had a busy schedule with no time for idling. Sometimes a peon had to be driven to the bank ; at other times he had needed to go some other office. Often if senior managers had to be dropped at or picked up from some place he and the other drivers had had to get up with their meals incomplete. Rameshbhai had felt that if he was dedicated and sincere he would be appreciated by the seniors.

The major advantage of working at Torrent had been a tremendous increase in Rameshbhai's awareness of the roads of Ahmedabad. He had learnt, by experience, the shortest possible routes from point A to point B. Also he had acquired the skill to detect and correct minor faults in the vehicles. He had also picked up practical points on how to check a car's road worthiness. As far as work was concerned he had job satisfaction there.

The dis-satisfaction had stemmed from the money. He had not been paid anything extra for the overtime that he put in as an apprentice. Moreover, he had also felt that the pay did not do justice to the long working hours. Specially when he had been using the bus he had had to stay away from home for too long a time.

After having completed a two month apprentice ship at Torrent he had been informed that he now onwards he would be paid Rs 1500/- (one thousand five hundred rupees) per month.

According to the officer he still had to gain more experience in driving, before getting a further rise. But, Rameshbhai had lost heart upon listening to the figure of 1500 itself. His expectation had been on garnering in around Rs 3000 - 4000/- (three to four thousand rupees) after his apprenticeship was over. By this time he had also found out from the other drivers that none of them got a salary of more than Rs 2700/- (two thousand seven hundred rupees). This had seemed like peanuts to Rameshbhai.

Rameshbhai had then conferred with Nirajbhai at SHARDA Trust regarding the pay being too less in proportion to the number of working hours. The ever helpful Nirajbhai had talked about this to the Torrent management but, had been unable to get any further pay rise for this trainee.

This decision had set Rameshbhai thinking, " At Anil Starch Mill I work only 8 hours and am still paid Rs 2100/- (two thousand one hundred rupees). Additionally, it is a permanent job with routine grade revisions according to company rules and ; retirement benefits. At Torrent I work 10 hours a day for just Rs 1500/- (one thousand five hundred rupees).In addition to the job not being a permanent one, increments depended solely on recommendations by the officers. There really is no point in continuing as a driver at Torrent."

Thereafter, he had found it fruitless to try for a driver's job at any other place.

He had wanted to return to his job as a casual worker for the labour contractor of Anil Starch Mills. As he had been absent from work for nearly 10 months the contractor had not been too keen to take him back. He had had to plead a lot before the contractor had agreed to take him on once again.

In the ultimate analysis Rameshbhai reports that out of the 5-6 people, from Sanjaynagar, who had undergone SHARDA Trust's Driver's Training Programme only one or two of them were successful in it. Even these two are currently NOT working as drivers !!!

With a note of disappointment Rameshbhai says that money had been so scarce that he generally went hungry. Even at work he ate only what was occasionally offered by his colleagues. Often, when he returned home from

work there would be no food to eat. This abject poverty had been more severe as he had had to spend a great deal on his daughter, Shilpa's medical expenses.

We quote Rameshbhai himself, "Shilpa had Tuberculosis of the brain and inspite of spending my life's savings for a cure, we couldn't save her. My salary not being sufficient we are forced to borrow money on loan leading to us drowning under more and more debts. Medical costs as well as day to day costs keep on escalating. Things have reached such a state that we're not even eating sufficiently. I often go to work on a hungry stomach. This malnutrition has made me a weak man, hence I can't work too well either. We are not even in a position to feed our children properly. In the face of such financial crisis I still paid for my training with a hope that a job paying three to four thousand rupees would solve all my problems. Now I feel I have wasted my time, money and energy on this training."

Yet, Rameshbhai being a sensitive man does wish to repay his training fee loan. He has spoken to SHARDA Trust officials, explaining his present situation and assuring them of starting to clear his loan as soon as it is feasible.