By Lavanya Rathore
Each morning, as the rest of us lie sleeping or hurry through our days, a whole group of people wake before the break of dawn to sweep the areas we inhabit, work, and travel through. They’re the first on duty and often the last to receive a moment of thanks. It’s the Global Garbage Man Day, observed every year on June 17, that we recognize the humble strength and dedication of the sanitation workers, all those women and men who do the most thankless, yet the most important work in our society.
To celebrate this day, this time we chose to look beyond the statistics and the numbers, and simply listen to the real voices of the people who do this work every day. We talked to Sunita Devi, who cleans the washrooms and also multitasks as a sanitation worker at the News24 office, Manju Kumari, a 65-year-old garbage picker for Cherry County society in Greater Noida West and Raghu, who is a trash picker dealing with garbage from a complete residential colony. All three spoke out their tale with muted pride and emotional candour, a mirror of the unseen resilience that drives this labour.
Sunita Devi welcomes everybody at the News24 office with a smile, even as she multitasks in cleaning at the same time. “People treat me with respect here, Madam, Badi Madam, even the male cleaners assist me,” she says. “Cleanliness is not just my responsibility, it’s everybody’s job.” She explained how people compliment her on doing good work and being nice, and that makes her feel respected. “When everything is clean, people are happier and that makes me happy too.” She has a personal point of pride that the work she does allows her to pay for her children’s schooling. “I like my work, and so does my family. Yes, when people say bad things about me, it hurts but other people’s appreciation balances it out.”
In Cherry County, we talked to Manju Kumari a women full of life, who at such age, still walking morning after morning from door to door gathering garbage. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” she says smiliing. “I’d rather be doing something than be at home and be useless.” Her drive is independence and a feeling of usefulness. “I don’t want to be dependent on anyone. As long as I can walk and work, I will keep working.” She illustrates how her work goes unrecognized: “But if we don’t show up, people start complaining. That says volumes about just how important our job really is.” She hopes for one thing only and that is respect and understanding. “Even water in the summer or a simple thank you goes a long way.”
And then there is Raghu, who takes his cart through a whole colony every day, silently keeping every house in order. “People do not always notice us or see us,” he says, “but if we did not come, they would notice in a day.” Raghu is proud of his work but hopes to offer something better to his children. “I want my children to grip pens, not brooms.” While he has experienced disrespect and rude behavior, he also adds that it’s the small gestures like a smile, a greeting, or a word of thanks that give him the energy to go on.
They are not merely employees, but they are the pillars of our public sanitation network. Their stories on Global Garbage Man Day remind one of the faces behind the trash barrels and mops. They are deserving not only of our gratitude, but also of our respect, attention, and kindness each and every day.
