As the unseen backbone of structured campus living, people like redi owners, sweepers, security guards, autowalas, and chowkis keep the wheels running to make the campus function. We have interacted with them on numerous occasions, but we have seldom stopped to think about their lives and appreciate the role that they play in this ecosystem. The English Press Club reached out to some people who belong in this bracket to talk about their livelihood and ways of sustenance in Pilani.
The article has been divided into several subsections:
a) Individuals directly hired by the Institute
i) Chowkis
ii) Janitors
b) Workers from companies BITS outsources services to
c) Redi Owners
d) People not working under the Institute in any capacity
Individuals directly hired by the Institute
Chowkis
Every hostel, aside from Meera, is allotted one chowki to help the Superintendent and the Warden with the maintenance and working of the hostel. They provide assistance and address any issues faced by the students, making them closely associated with the students. With decades of experience, most of them are very attached to the Institute and they have in-depth knowledge of the lives of students.
Hawa Singh, the chowki of SR Bhawan, has been assisting students since he joined in the year 1997. With a family of five, he lives on ₹18,000 per month, with a yearly increment of around ₹2,000. He receives financial aid for his children’s education and feels very grateful to the Institute for all the support he has received over the years. His only complaint is the poor availability of medication on campus. Hawa Singh claims to be a happy employee.
The chowki of Shankar Bhawan believes that he gets paid for 24 hours of duty each day, since most of their time is spent in their rooms, helping students. 12% of his salary of ₹15,000 each month is set aside as a part of his pension fund. He was delighted about the fact that the Institute paid 90% of his children’s school fees. Since both his children graduated from BITS, he was content knowing they would not have to lead lives as difficult as his.
Karni Singh—who works the night shift as the Meera chowki—has been working for BITS for 22 years. He earns ₹20,000 per month and feels very content with his work.
Having worked for BITS since 2007, Vinod Kumar, the chowki for Gandhi Bhawan, has been supporting his family of six on ₹15,000 per month. He appreciated the assistance the Institute has been providing, especially with his children’s school fees and the pension plan that is in place for him.
Karan Singh, the Vyas chowki, takes pride in being ‘one of the friendliest chowkis on campus’. With a family consisting of two daughters and two sons, Karan Singh and his family enjoy a comfortable residence on campus. He earns a whopping ₹40,000 per month, which is the most among chowkis. This figure is representative of his loyalty and dedication towards the Institute. His 29-year long stint consists of a brief term as the Shankar chowki, followed by a short period as a security guard, and finally as Vyas chowki. He hopes to find another ten twilight years before hanging up his boots. He is very happy and satisfied with his work and living environment.
Janitors at the academic blocks
Ravi Kumar is employed by the Institute as a sweeper for FD-3. He has been working at BITS since 1988. He makes a monthly salary of ₹33,405, and gets a semi-annual increment of 3%. He revealed that he has received financial assistance from the Institute for his children’s education, and has been assured that he will receive a pension in the future. There was no help from them, however, in providing accommodation. He said that he is extremely grateful to the Institute for providing support and a positive living environment.
Tara Chand and Bijendra are similarly employed as sweepers for FD-2 and have been working in Pilani for 21 years. There is a disparity in their incomes with Tara Chand earning a monthly salary of ₹12,290 and Bijendra around ₹20,000. The disparity continues in their increments with Bijendra receiving 3% twice a year and Tara Chand 10%. As in the case of Ravi Kumar, both received help for their children’s education and have been promised pensions.
Workers from companies BITS outsources services to
Sweepers
BITS outsources from Shri Balaji Facilities, which is an organisation which hires cleaning staff who work in the hostels. A monthly salary of ₹7,000 is handed to them above which they earn by going around their hostel, asking to clean students’ rooms for them at a nominal fee. Since the work is on a contractual basis, the people coming for cleaning keep changing here and there.
Security guards
Security guards are present at every statue or major turning or at the entrances of the academic blocks. Their job is to guide the limited traffic along the roads, along with keeping an eye on everything happening in their vicinity. They earn a salary of ₹10,500 for 26 days of work. Rajesh, the guard at ANC circle has been working for almost a year and takes care of his household of five people in Pilani. Naresh Kumar, the guard working at gate two of campus, works the day shift to support his family of eight.
Redi Owners
Redis are an integral part of the food services available on campus. With fourteen redis currently functioning in various strategically placed locations, the redi owners depend on the residents of BITS for their livelihood.
The Meera Redi was established four years ago and it is one of the closest food outlets to this Bhawan. Lalita Satyapa, who has been working at the Meera redi for about seven months now, has been residing in Pilani for 18 years now. She mentioned that all the helpers at this redi worked in shifts, averaging out about ₹6,000 per month in terms of salary. With four members in her family, she said that the Institute does not usually provide any additional benefits like medical, financial, or educational assistance to the workers or the owner. During the first COVID-19 wave, the Institute provided the redi owner with financial assistance and rations consisting of grains, rice, and medicines. However, during the second wave, they were able to only supply rations. She mentioned that her salary increased from ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 from last year, as the redi has picked up more business.
Manoj Sharma has been working at Shankar Redi since 1976. After spending 46 years at this establishment, the entirety of his income comes from this business which he uses to support the four members in his family. He stated that he currently paid the Institute ₹1,728 in rent to run his business on the premises. He claimed that he was provided with ration till Diwali, and the redi owners received financial support from the Institute in the form of cash about three to four times throughout the lockdown period, which amounted to about ₹3,000 to ₹10,000 each time.
Coming to Ashok Redi, the owner, Mahesh Saini, has spent 33 years in BITS. He stated that his redi will be renovated in May. He pays ₹1,600 to ₹1,800 in rent, and has received benefits similar to the Shankar Redi owner in terms of ration and financial assistance. BITS provides security and safety for him and he feels that he leads a good lifestyle. He said that he enjoys meeting students every day and likes to do his work regardless of the financial gain he receives. ‘I have had an increase in salary increases over the years but the increase in expenses due to my family and other factors leave me with an unclear picture.’ he stated.
Vyas Redi, also known as Gulabji Redi, is operated by Gulab Saini. He came to Pilani in 1970, wherein his father operated the Ram-Budh Redi. With five members in his family, he stated that he had not received any substantial financial support from the Institute. He received ration through NSS throughout the lockdown period, with majority of the help coming from students. He stated that he has a 12 month contract with the Institute, and his daily income varies from ₹500 to ₹700 with an increase to ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 during the compre period. Blaming the location of his redi, he said there was high competition among redis and ANC during the evening for customers.
Nagarmal Saini is the owner of VK Redi, which was established back in 1969. With nine members in his family, his oldest son helps with the redi, whereas his younger son is employed outside campus. He did not reveal his sales revenue, however he mentioned that he did not receive any direct support from the Institute and works for them on a contractual basis.
Established around 40 years ago, Ram Redi is one of the oldest redis on campus. Aside from a monthly income of ₹11,000, the owner, Narotam Sharma, also receives a pension of ₹750 per month from the Rajasthan Government. He stated that the Institute gave him ₹20,000 in cash, paid his children’s school fees, and provided him with ration during the lockdown period.
Back in 1975, the Director of BITS, Raghu Rama, built the cabin for the operations of Krishna Redi. The owner claimed that Vyas, Krishna, and Gandhi are the oldest redis which were inherited by the current owners from their fathers. He stated that the Institute provided him with financial support for the education of his children.
Rajesh Kumar Swami, the owner of the Budh Redi, earns a monthly income of around ₹15,000. Hee said that he tries his best to make ends meet but has been having financial difficulties due to COVID, during which he received around ₹10,000 from the Institute along with rations. Nonetheless, he feels grateful to the Institute for the help it provided.
The Society for Students’ Mess Services signs a contract with a mess provider for the daily three meals that students avail for daily and the mess workers working under the provider can be seen cycling to their respective messes for duty as early as 5:30 AM.
People not working under the Institute in any capacity
While the role of the Institute and the local people working under it is easy to quantify and understand, there are some locals working independently inside the campus who are an extremely important aspect of the campus’s ecosystem. They have seen the campus grow into what it is today, just like the people who work directly under the Institute.
Cycle Mechanics
One can find a cycle mechanic at almost every corner of the campus. From Om Prakash Nirmal who sits near the library to Rustam Ali who sits near Meera along with Munir who sits at Ram Redi, these people handle repairs for the countless cycles which go around the campus on a daily basis. They have seen the way students have had to deal with issues ranging from weak brakes to flat tires, along with the number of locks which students have needed to break through the years. Rustam Ali said that he earns ₹300–400 per day. He has been fixing cycles in the Institute for the past 22 years and has three children. Munir said that he did not earn much and often leaves it to the discretion of the customers to decide his fee for small repairs. Om Prakash said that he earns ₹300–400 daily on average. He stated that he has been working in the Institute for the past 35 years and fixes anywhere between 0–20 cycles a day. Om Prakash lives near Pahadi and said that the Institute workers not inside campus during lockdown received rations monthly. He also said that he received payments from the Institute in 2 instalments of ₹10,000 and ₹3,000 each to make ends meet in those troubling times.
Auto Drivers
One can see autos going to-and-fro on the campus roads plenty of times, with considerable activity during occasions like Batch Snaps, fests, and other events. Predominantly parked in front of Meera Bhawan, these autos along with their drivers contribute significantly in assisting students in their travel inside and outside campus. The auto drivers majorly rely on BITS’s residents for their livelihood.
Lalit Kumar is a local, who has seven members in his family to support. He said that he only works inside campus where he earns ₹200 to ₹300 per day. He did not receive any support from the Institute during the lockdown, as he was not registered on the official list of workers. He also said that he observed a decrease in salary as the years progressed.
Rafeeq Ali is also a local resident of Pilani, who agreed with Lalit Kumar regarding the benefits he received and his salary. He stated that the introduction of standardised rates, which were in use earlier, contributed in decreasing his income, as fuel prices spiked and inflation adjustment was not possible.
Imran Khan, affectionately known as Imran Bhai among the students, is also a localite. He stated that he received financial support from the Institute which amounted to ₹18,000 in total. The drivers collectively claimed, ‘Whoever is more in touch with the students, and has more connections generally received more business. If the students possess your contact number or know your name, you are likely to earn more as compared to your counterparts.’