Dignity of labour gets a whiff of fresh air

In the past couple of years night clubs, themed restaurants and a score of eateries are cropping up by the day around the city. These outlets have a single motto to provide entertainment and comfort of the best quality to their customers. The quality of entertainment and comfort decides the class and such a demand is wiping out one major antiquated belief - that hospitality jobs lack dignity.

It seems like the days of ‘babus’ and ‘chotus’ are almost over in Hyderabad. A new breed of employers and employees are seen at restaurants these days. Before colonisation, the concept of serving and entertainment in India refrained from emerging out in the public as it was followed as a ritual in the caste system. It was mostly a job of a lower caste person to serve and clean that caters to the poor image of the job.

Today, it is clearly not bound to caste and religion but is considered an art to entertain your guests. “No job can be underestimated. I am earning as much as my ex-classmates after we graduated no matter what work we do. I am happy and feel proud for taking up my passion as my work and at the same time entertain the audience with my music,” says Flint Eastwood, freelance performer at clubs and restaurants with live music.

“People appreciate quality in any work you do and your quality will always have a worth,” he says. With the rapid proliferation of the interest and growing demand in the field of hospitality and tourism, there are now a large variety of courses, institutes and universities that provide training specific to the task.

“It helps us understand etiquettes and manners of cultures worldwide that cater to a larger group of customers. Specific education and training in this subject helps us experience the work first hand before we are put out there to leave no scope for mistakes,” shares Shruti Joshi, graduate from IHM, Pusa, New Delhi.

“Most of these colleges have great placements as this particular field hasn’t been explored much in our country yet,” she added. Places like Hard Rock Cafe (HRC), Heart Cup Cafe (HCC) and others share one thing in common when it comes to their success, which is maintaining employee dignity as much as they look for customer services and comforts.

“It is a friendly experience to interact with customers who come to the cafe regularly. They respect us for the service and understand our role in serving them. We as employees working here, make sure that their customers have a cheerful experience. It can involve talking to them, appreciating humour and asking them from time to time if they are missing anything,” says Sharan Akula, who worked at Hard Rock Cafe.

However, this favourable situation is more in the elitist category. In fact, most of the local restaurants, tea stalls and tiffin centres in the city hire young people who migrate in large numbers from places like Orissa and Assam. Most of them come from socially deprived groups in search of a job and are ready to work for low wages in local markets.

They do more or less the same job expecting minimal wages in order to run a living. But such an employment is least respected and dignified when compared to the ones trained and hired. “I have been working here for the past six years as a servant after I left my village in Orissa for employment.

I am being paid Rs 300-500 per day with lunch and stay, which is enough for now until I finish my diploma that can help me move to a better hotel with a stable pay,” says Prasad, serving in one of the local tiffin centres in Uppal. All said and done, there is a slow shift in the demand for trained and educated people in the hospitality industry as it brings out potential customers who is willing to pay not only for the service, but also for luxury.

By Sasidhar Kocharlakota