The man in the corridor

        

“What are these guys learning in a university? They don’t even know how to use the toilets (Sorry...Washroom!),”

I have been exclaiming every morning, seeing the ugly state of gents’ toilets here, in J- hostel, University of Hyderabad.

But in the evening when I come back, they look so clean.

So, here is a man, who has not studied in a university, yet knows how to keep the toilets clean.

Sreenivas, 53, lives in Gopanpalli, just outside the campus.

Having come from a distant village, he settled in the city several years back.

His daily chores start with cleaning the J-hostel, and then he goes to K and L hostels.

The job is not as easy as one might imagine.

All these hostels have four floors each, with a length of over 100 meters.

In addition, each floor has two separate clusters of toilets cum bathrooms.

I have seen him cleaning the urinals with a small brush, without even wearing any gloves.

Sreenivas talked without any hesitation, smiling quite often.

When I asked him whether he gets gloves or shoes, he said "no".

However, he said the contractor gives him phenol or other cleaning liquids on some days.

He is not a permanent employee of the university.

Working here as a contract labourer earns him a monthly wage of Rs 5,000.

His wife is also working as a daily wage labourer in a nearby apartment complex.

She earns around Rs 4,000 per month.

In a city like Hyderabad, a monthly income of Rs 9,000 is not enough to have a comfortable life,  yet he sends his two daughters to school.

I could see a ray of hope on his face when he uttered the word "school".

While we were talking, a student from the nearby room called him to clean his room.

Without asking any questions Sreenivas walked towards that room.

He removed his old rubber chappals outside and started cleaning that room, even though it is not a part of his duty.

I stood there for a moment before walking back to my room.

I was just wondering, why our students can't even keep their own rooms clean?

What great thoughts are they learning in this university, while they don’t even care to flush the toilets after use?

And the final question; to who does this hostel, this building and these corridors belong?

To Sreenivas or students...?