4.Chapter 7.S.St.The Works We Do

Chapter 7

The Works We Do You enjoy participating in various activities in the school like drawing, paper folding, singing, embroidery, toy making, pot painting, etc.  All these activities provide fun and basic knowledge about some occupations that you may take up later on.  An occupation is a meaningful task that is accomplished to earn livelihood.  Activity: Fill in the blanks: Different Occupations / Professions.  Skilled: Electrician, Barber, Plumber, Tailor, Roller Blacksmith • Unskilled: Rickshaw - puller, Vegetable seller, fruit seller labor • Professional: Doctor, Teacher, Engineer, Nurse Designers People take up different occupations when they grow up.  Most people choose an occupation related with their favorite childhood activity or interest in their parents' occupation.  Many people choose an occupation on the basis of special skill they have, educational qualifications or training, such as painting, singing, designing or joining the army.  The choice of Occupation also depends upon the availability of some raw material and the type of landform where they live.  In earlier times farming was the main occupation of the people.  Many occupations 53

were dependent upon farming like the Do You Know?  blacksmith made tools for the farmer Many farmers gave up and the potter made pots for storing farming due to low income grains.  Over a period of time, many from small landholdings.  It farmers gave up farming and migrated was not enough to support to cities and towns in search of jobs.  their families.  They started working in factories, pulling loads and rickshaws, etc.  When many farmers migrated to cities, their womenfolk took over the farming, along with their traditional occupations of rearing animals, weaving, pottery and basket making.  These activities supplemented the family income.  Do you know?  In earlier times many jobs were expected to be done either by boys or girls.  But now there are no gender - specific occupations as girls are flying aeroplanes, driving taxies and boys are cooking and designing dresses!  The availability of raw material plays an important role in the occupation of the people.  For example, the life of people of Mizoram revolves around bamboo as it grows in abundance there.  They make their houses with bamboo, sit on bamboo chairs, eat bamboo sprouts from bamboo bowls with bamboo chopsticks!  Bamboo handicrafts are in great demand in India and abroad.  Bamboo handicrafts of Mizoram the landform and the climate of a place also influence the choice of occupation.  Gujjars are the Gypsies of Himalayas.  In winters these nomads move down to green pastures from the snow - covered mountains, with their flocks of sheep and goats.  They live on the money they earn from selling milk, wool etc.  Gujjars 54

New Occupations The development in science and technology brought in many new occupations / professions.  A large number of industries / factories were set up to transform agricultural products like cotton, sugar and minerals like silver, iron ore, etc.  Many people started working in factories and living in nearby cities and towns they needed housing, education, health, sanitation markets, transport and roads.  Hence, people of different occupations were needed like masons, architects, engineers, designers, teachers, doctors, nurses, sweepers, salesmen, drivers, etc.  Iron and steel is a basic industry.  It uses iron ore for making industrial machinery, electrical machinery, defense equipments, railway tracks, railway engines, bridges, dams, cars, buses, trucks and many other goods.  Steel industry started in India at Kulti in Bengal in 1870. A huge iron and steel early Tata Steel plant industry was set up in Jamshedpur in 1907. It was followed by many other steel plants around the regions, where iron ore is mined.  Thousands of people were employed as fitters, electricians, masons, painters, engineers, marketing experts, scientists, etc.  Dignity of labor All forms of occupation / jobs are known as labor.  They may be mental or intellectual.  In manual labor physical strength is used more like mason, carpenter, butcher, sweeper, blacksmith, etc.  Intellectual labor requires mental ability and educational qualifications like lawyer, doctor, engineer, teacher, pilot, scientist, etc.  There is general notion that intellectual labor is more important than manual labor.  Some people look down upon manual labor.  They forget that respect lies in the quality and not in the type of work.  All occupations require hard work, sincerity, mental alertness and creativity.  A watchman guards a colony carefully and an astronaut travels and works in the spacecraft.  Both are performing important and useful jobs.  55

A story once a man named, Hari went to a saint and begged for food.  What do you have in your house?  Hari replied, 'I have a blanket that is only big enough to cover my body and spread as a sheet.  I also have a leather water bag.  'The saint told him to go home and bring both the items.  Hari brought the items and the saint asked the people present there, 'Who will buy these?  One man said, 'I will take them for five rupees.  'Another man offered ten rupees.  The saint took the money and gave it to Hari who then bought food with five rupees and an ax with the other five.  The saint told Hari to cut wood with the ax, sell it and meet him after one week.  After a week, Hari earned fifty rupees.  He was happy.  The saint kept his hand on his shoulder and said, 'You look happy because labor has dignity but begging brings shame!  Dignity of labor means respect for all types of labor and not considering any job superior to other.  The craftsmen of Kashmir are famous for embroidery on shawls.  carving wood and Gujarat for kachchi mirror work.  It is the hard work, creativity and quality that earns respect for these craftsmen.  Do you know?  Gandhi ji said - Manual work is not inferior to mental work.  No job is greater than the other.  Dignity can be achieved only with hard work.  Gandhi ji preached dignity of labor in Sabarmati ashram.  The people living in the ashram were taught to clean the toilets and surroundings themselves.  Every work is repectable, dignified and important for the society.  People doing manual labor are not inferior in any way.  A dignified work becomes undignified only if it is done in a wrong way or by unfair means.  Many families have domestic help to take care of their household chores and children.  It is important to talk politely with maids / servants and respect them for their work.  56

Sometimes children do not feel proud of the occupations of their parents.  The son of a tailor may wish that his father were a doctor.  But do we not require a tailor as much as we need a doctor?  Hence, it is important to know that it is the hard work, devotion to duty and pride in the quality of work of many people that make our life comfortable.  Do you know?  Honest living is respectable living ___ 57