In India, across the transport industry right from the Union Minister to the small-time transporters, everyone is in unison on the view that there is a shortage of highway drivers and that the figures would only swell in the long run. There are umpteen reasons known, unknown and deliberately unknown. The prevailing chalta hai attitude will prove detrimental for the transport industry. Highway transport of any country could ill-afford it. We have to confront the problem head on.
Besides the major hurdles like the speed breakers in the form of corrupt officialdom of the Indian highways and the traditional mutual distrust factor between the chalak & malak, the most intriguing is the prevailing unacceptable and undignified behaviour of the highway authorities. Well, not to forget their own co-employees right from the security to the babus in the office. Dignity of labour, it appears, is an alien subject for all of them.
It all erodes the self-esteem of a driver. And here lies the root of all ills. Truck drivers – the backbone of any economy – are shattered mentally and psychologically. The concept of self-respect gets buried deep in him over a period of time. The larger implication of such taken for granted attitude of one and all is the gradual alienation of the individual from the society at large. He tends to turn a blind eye from right and wrong, ethics and morals. Such fundas becomes no more relevant for them and could be easily discarded for the sake of survival. So, the need of the hour is restoration of the lost self-pride in our highway drivers.
When it comes to building self-pride or self-confidence, perception is everything. Leave alone the outsiders, the way you view yourself has a huge impact on how others will ultimately perceive you. The painful part is that they stop liking themselves. In my opinion, most people’s worst enemy are they themselves. They do self-sabotage. Our drivers fit as perfect example.
The society over a period of time inflicted deep injuries on their psyche, and as such the same society is responsible to rekindle the lost feeling in them. The drivers should be made to feel more deserving of good things in life. Such thought process will awaken their hibernated feelings which is so very essential to bond back in the society. Such an acceptance by the society will be a deterrent towards self-sabotage attitude of the drivers.
On the contrary, when we like or love ourselves, automatically things will fall in place. The million-dollar question is how to bring in the transformation in our drivers. Very simple to put it in words rather than to practice. It requires a resolute determination to accept the concept of dignity of labour. It will be good for the driver and more so it would do wonders for this depressed segment of the society.
Despite their plight and societal neglect our sarathi’s life revolves round their wards for whom they would have woven a dreamy path. No way they will allow their gen next to tread in their cursed path. He accepts his fate accomplice with a silent surrender just to make the future of his son bright or the daughter to get married. This very sacrificial mindset amply demonstrates that he has put his self-esteem on the back burner.
No need to take big-big revolutionary steps. Small gestures like flashing a smile and wishing a good morning when you meet him will have an immense impact on his sagging low-esteem. Little magnanimity to bestow a compliment on his good performance will boost his morale. Break the bread with him and let him share his thoughts with you at least once in a while. Make it a company policy to use healthier motivations to integrate him in the larger scheme of things. Vitamin M is important for all of us and so also for the driver, but money alone can’t match the finer aspects of motivation.
We should handle his mistakes and failures in a more positive way. It will speak volumes in popping up lost pride which is a powerful tool to cultivate self-esteem.
Let us be kinder towards the drivers ensuring empathy and not sympathy. Making an environment of more supportive people around the drivers is a subtle way to up shore his self-assessment. We all know self-esteem is directly proportionate to happiness.
During my interactions with the highway drivers I found them cocooned within themselves and refusing to mingle with us. In the society it may be a yard stick of one’s superiority complex but is not so in their context. Rather it is their inferiority complex which prohibits them from mingling in the society. My analysis says, out of his sheer disgust for the profession he has got into, he is dead against inducting anyone, leave alone his own brother or son into the driving profession. This will become detrimental to the desperately required workforce in this sector.
It is now imperative for the society in general and the industry in particular to come out of their slumber and realize the reality that no more can one ignore the importance of bringing back the driver community into the folds of the society. Any further alienation of the driving community will lead to catastrophe. A happy driver will be a strong link between the truck and the trade.
By Raghuram Sharma