The term servant, suggests a person, who serves, but the person who is a servant, knows exactly what he has to face in his/her life, when he acquires the profession of a servant.When we read our Indian scriptures, then we realise, that a servant is held high in honour, as he serves you and takes care of you, in the best possible way, despite the fact, that he is insulted, humiliated and his self esteem is crushed at several junctures of his life, by the hands of some unruly owners, who are deplorable human beings!
The life of a servant is full of challenges and when he takes up the job of a servant, in any household, then he has to make up his mind, to take all insults and humiliations, in his stride, as it is very characteristic of his master to humiliate him, as he pays him, for all his services.This is the most challenging aspect in a servant's life, as being insulted, day and day out, is very disturbing and suffocating for any individual.When it comes to the nature of the kind of work he does and how many hours of hard work, he has to put in, is also worth taking notice, as many of the employers, for whom they work, are hard task masters and they don't take a no for an answer, for any job they tell them to do! Hours of toiling hard work and many times, not even getting enough to eat, is a fact, in the lives of many servants.
To serve and provide for the families for whom they are working, is the purpose of all servants and for that they get paid too and it is not necessary, that all of their employers are negative and they humiliate and insult them. Many of the employers are very humanitarian, in their outlook towards their servants and they treat them like family and give them all the respect they deserve, infact , many of them, make life better for, not only the servants, but their families too, by educating their kids and taking care of the medical expenses and marriages of their kids too. As they say that the world is full of good and bad people.
There are various kinds of servants, the regular domestic servants, who work in households and if we take it in a larger context, then I would consider every employed person, as a servant, An office going employee, is a servant for his company and he provides his services to the compnay and earns his livelihood and though at that level of working for a company, his postion in society is elevated, as he earns due to his education. But, when it comes to the basic environment of his job and how he has to face insults and humiliation, at the hands of his seniors, then I should say that he also falls in the same category of a regular domestic servant, as, due to the fact that he is paid for his work, he has to face a lot and take a lot in his stride and maintain a stoic stance, in front of his bosses, when he is facing a volley of insults, at their hands, quietly.
Life is certainly not easy for a servant, in literally every aspect. Till now I was highlighting the work environment of a servant, but if we take into consideration, his family and the kind of challenges, he has to face, in taking care of them and sacrificing, all he has , for them, is commendable!
I would love to take up the example of a domestic servant, or even for that matter, a regular migrant worker, who comes from the comfortable environs of his village.This kind of servant leaves his family, his wife, kids and parents in the village and comes in search of work, in cosmopolitan cities, to earn money, as his village doesn't offer him ample work opportunities.
Now, this is a major sacrifice he makes, as he has to adjust in an entirely alien environment on his own and live in deplorable conditons, sometimes, without food too! He has to face the vagaries of living in a. town and adjust with employers, who are mostly unruly and work in difficult conditons, just for the sake of providing for their families, those families, who they miss all the time! Life is not only difficult for them, but it is difficult for their families too, who live without his love and care miss him badly. But this is the stark truth, that both have to face and live with, for years together, as poverty has struck them and struck them badly.
Families are scattered, just for sustenance, but poverty and the desire for survival has pushed them to take this extreme step of separating from each other, for a better life! It saddens me no end, when I see the sad face of my lady domestic servant, when she talks of her kids and of her life in the village. She misses her family and especially kids, but she has no alternative, but to slog in the cities and work for various kinds of so called,"Madams", and bear with all their moods and tantrums, with a smiling face! She might be fortunate enough to get a good lady employer, who can turn around her life, but that is rarity. Life is fortunate , for just the fortunate few!
When we try to equate ourselves, with their lives and of the kind of luxurious life we have in cities and how many comforts, we can afford, only then, we realise, that how fortunate we are and how unfortunate they are! It is an amazing aspect that, despite all the troubles that the servants face, the truth is that, these servants tend to be happy, most of the time and we, the so called fortunate few, are cribbing all the time, and raving and ranting, that we dont have this, or we dont have that. Life is ironical, really and if we look outside our comfort zone, then and only then we realise, that what life really is and what other people have to face, for their bare survival!
Being a servant is the most unfortunate profession, especially for a domestic servant, as living with humiliation and insult every moment and quietly bearing with all the troubles and tribulations, is among the most difficcult things any person can do. As I said that getting good employers is a rarity, henceforth the life of a servant is a living hell!
I can vouch for the fact that if a regular city going, educated person, lives the lfie of domestic servant, with an unruly employer and bears with all the insults and humiliations, even for a month, then his self esteem and morale will be crushed and stamped upon and it would take a long time, for him to recover, from all the insult and come back to his normal self.
Living the life of a servant is a challenge, not only a regular domestic servant, but even for that matter a regular office going individual too and a sincere advise from my side to both the categories, is that one should be proud of what he is doing, whether he is a domestic servant or an educated company employee. Work is worship, no matter which kind of job it is. No job is considered to be below the dignity of a person, as ultimately everyone is earning a livelihood. one should understand that he is working for a purpose and has to bear with all the challeging circumstances, in order to provide for himself and his family.
It is immaterial as to how your employers, or your seniors treat you, how they behave is totally their prerogative and ultimately they have to bear with their conscience and be answerable to themselves, when they evaluate, as to how they have behaved with their subordinates! They have to understand that a humanitarian approach to their subordiantes, is all that is asked from them, and if they behave otherwise, then they have no right to be called as human beings! I know I am being harsh towards such unruly employers, but treating your fellow human beings equally is of utmost importance, no matter, what his designation is, in relation to you.
Henceforth a servant should live a life with his head held high and be proud of his existence and understand that his existence in his employers life is of paramonunt importance, as if he was not there, then his master wouldn't have an easy an comfortable life.
Another very important aspect in a servants life is that he should have absolute loyalty and honesty towards his employer and give his best, no matter what kind of employer he has, as his devotion and good behaviour, could change the attitude of, even the most indifferent employer!
Being a servant is not a shame for any individual, as long he himself looks upon his job as dignified and respectful and works with full honesty and devotion and gives his best, irrespective of what kind of boss he has got, as good behaviour and good work ethics, always invites respect and love in reciprocation!
