HIDDEN LIVES

THE WEEK shines light on those who tag suitcases, guard ATMs, garland guests and park cars—people we see without really ‘seeing’

- ANJULY MATHAI

A recent piece in TIME magazine titled ‘How to be both ambitious and fulfilled’ advised that one should focus on the task and not the rewards, prioritise your relationships, strive for growth, do not try to monetise everything and practice gratitude. But what kind of growth is there if you are a bellboy, a lift operator or a salesgirl? How do you not try to monetise everything when you are struggling to feed your family, send your children to school and take care of an ailing mother? Of course, you might argue that the principles delineated in TIME are only for white-collar workers and salaried office-goers. But don’t others also have a right to live fulfilled lives?

Talk of balance sheets, profit margins and quarterly reports are meaningless for them. For them, what matters is the relentless pounding of the sun while standing by the roadside for hours holding a ‘HOTEL’ sign. What matters is changing out of their uniforms so that they can shrug back into their identities outside of work.