I am somewhat guilt ridden. Should I have tipped more? It has been quite some time since a person seemed to be so desperate and pleading for more tip. It wouldn't have mattered to me but may have made a difference to him. But it brings up the same dilemma of giving to a beggar. I may help a person and feel good about it; but I may actually be contributing to the preservation of a bad and unjust social setup.
It was the last leg of our trip to Kerala. We took the Trivandrum Rajdhani from Ernakulam to Margao. It was painful to watch 3 attendants sleeping in the corridor outside the compartment - one on the proper berth and the remaining two on the floor.
I wondered why was there a need for three attendants and whether they were actually employed by the contractors.
It was the last leg of our trip to Kerala. We took the Trivandrum Rajdhani from Ernakulam to Margao. It was painful to watch 3 attendants sleeping in the corridor outside the compartment - one on the proper berth and the remaining two on the floor.
I wondered why was there a need for three attendants and whether they were actually employed by the contractors.
- Was it just the easy option of hiring extra people at a very low cost in order to 'improve' service?
- Could it be that railways insist on the extra staff to make sure that one person is not overworked for the long journey?
- Wouldn't it be desirable and better to have the staff change midway?
- Or does the actual employee outsource his job to desperate youngsters for no wage but tips?