|
India's Part-Timers
"College in India has been getting really expensive lately, and middle class parents are willing to look the other way if their children flip burgers to make an extra buck."
Listen
to this Commentary!
By Nishat Kurwa
Not long ago, there was no such thing as a part time job in India. Wealthy high school graduates went straight to college, and working class kids took full time jobs when they hit their teens. But now, kids are working their way through college - trying to find ways to earn money while they're still in school. Youth Radio's Nishat Kurwa looks at why they're taking jobs in the fast food industry.
This is the first stage in a Domino's Pizza delivery in India- a precisely timed preparation process that's supposed to get a pie out the door, and to the customer in- you guessed it- 30 minutes or less, or the pie is free.
It's no easy feat for these Domino's "delivery experts" - young men on compact scooters trying to navigate chaotic, crowded Bombay streets. Everyone's got a horror story.
FAISAL (on tape)
It was like rainy season - there was a delivery in my bike, and my bike was not working.
NISHAT
That's 23-year-old Faisal, flashing back to his days at the bottom of the food chain as a Domino's delivery boy.
FAISAL (on tape)
And this was heavy rain, and I've taken a taxi from there to the customer's doorstep…and I found that even there the lift was not working, so I climbed 13 floors.
NISHAT
The prospect of pizza at your doorstep came to India in 1996, a few years after the country opened its economy to foreign business. Domino's wants to "own" the food delivery market here. Rahul Takalkarr is the company's regional training manager in Bombay. He says that will take a whole lot of hustle.
RAHUL (on tape)
You require fresh blood, young blood, in the system. That's why all our team are basically all young people...so definitely a lot of young blood, that produces lot of energy.
NISHAT
And young Indians are spending that energy at work, and at play- partying in expensive discos and buying products like cell phones and Reeboks. The newly open economy is providing both products and jobs for a younger workforce. But Abhijit Banerjee, an econ professor at MIT, says even though young middle-class Indians might think it's "cool" to work for American chains, their old fashioned parents might not agree.
ABHIJIT (on tape)
It looks like a job that somebody poorer would be doing. I think when I was growing up it would not have been considered appropriate for somebody from the middle class. It's really a straight blue collar job- making pizzas, putting them in boxes, cycling them over.
NISHAT
College in India has been getting really expensive lately, and middle class parents are willing to look the other way if their children flip burgers to make an extra buck. Working class Indian kids, who generally don't speak English well, aren't likely to get jobs at this international chain. Remember Faisal, the guy whose delivery bike got stuck in the monsoon? He's a typical Domino's part timer, studying for his bachelors in commerce, and working at night.
FAISAL (on tape)
I found that this company, having lots of opportunities to grow up and become something. So I've done hard work and now I'm like, a manager.
NISHAT
Of course, Faisal doesn't plan to stay at Domino's forever. He's one of the faces of the new Indian workforce. Future accountants and engineers are the ones serving up your Tandoori Masala pizza with extra onions.
- “India's Part-Timers” was produced by Youth Radio's International
Desk, in association with National
Geographic.
|
|
