What job would you do for free?

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The article discusses the transition from free services to paid ones, emphasizing the rationale behind tolls and fees for public utilities, parks, and health services. It highlights how quality often corresponds with price, revealing a societal tendency to criticize services while neglecting to contribute to their upkeep. Examples of charity efforts and individual dedication to social causes are provided, showcasing both successful and failed initiatives. Figures like Dashrath Manjhi and Anna Hazare are celebrated for their commitments, demonstrating how individual actions can lead to significant community improvements. The piece ultimately underscores the rarity and impact of genuine selfless work in society.

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It was a nice two-lane road that connected two cities. People who wanted to go to other districts used this road, which was known as the Highway. Except for a few places, the use of highways was free. Gradually, the use of highways became paid for. At frequent intervals, plazas were established to collect toll tax – from the commuters. It is a tax that is levied on highway users under the pretext of maintenance. Rates of toll tax were periodically revised, and it has become significant.

With increasing infrastructure development and road connectivity, good and quality roads are constructed. Some were dedicated to a particular purpose and are called corridors, while there are Expressways that cut short the distance and travel time considerably. Use of Expressways is comparatively expensive, but viewing with an angle of convenience, ease of use, less travel time, comfortable journey, casualty services, et cetera joined together substantiate the charge that a commuter has to shell out. 

In daily life, people come across several occasions where services are paid. Entry in a public park, for example, which used to be free is now paid with frequent upward revision. Some old parks which were ticketed low, have now become premium parks after their renovation and revamping. Though the ticket rates are high, they offer good services, cleanliness, maintainability and public utility.

One other example is health services which used to be highly subsidised or almost free in government hospitals. The scenario is gradually changing. Government hospitals, in comparison to mushrooming private hospitals, are still low-cost. Private hospitals are exorbitantly high with comparatively incompatible services. Their services are also not up to the mark as is expected from what they charge.

Things come with a cost. It is a simple and fundamental thing. Free or low-cost services or things are bound to be compromised because of the simple reason that cost-cutting is either by subsidizing the service or compromising with qualities. Subsidy poses a burden to government exchequer resulting in a budget based on deficit financing and increased taxation. It is not a good situation.

People are often seen castigating a public place, park or service on the pretext of unhygienic, crowded, pathetic and substandard. Ironically, their behaviour is opposite to what they grumble for. They are often seen littering public parks, utilities and places but complain about the untidiness of the place. It is a lopsided and impractical attitude.

Public utilities, parks, education or health services are capital intensive. A lot of money is invested in creating appurtenance, paying wages, overhead charges et cetera. Being a welfare government, it is the prime responsibility of the government to supply services and facilities at reasonable cost or at no cost. It is a collective responsibility of each one of us. Damaging, defacing and littering public places or property is not in good taste and sends the wrong message.

Every work or activity needs money. Like every work, the charity also needs monitory support. Those who want to do charity collect funds either by crowdfunding or raise it from donations by people. The devotees also contribute a large sum by way of oblation or donations. The money thus collected is used to create infrastructure facilities in the devotional areas and run charitable hospitals, community kitchens, and schools. It is the work that helps millions to get services at almost free of cost or nominal rates.

Efforts of charity at the individual level are strenuous. Occasional and relatively less expensive works apart, charity involves a handsome amount. Sounds rosy and lucrative, but the reality is that charity is harsh and demanding. Some like-minded individuals come together and initiate some work of common interest but ultimately fail, earning the label of a “publicity stunt.” It is seen in daily life.

In the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, a group of youth took up the task of cleaning the city. They would tear out posters and banners pasted on pillars, walls and public places and try to clean it. They couldn’t raise awareness because of the lack of funds to pay for workers who used to engage with them. They vanished. It is not a solo example.

Working for money is different from selfless work. Some do it for self-satisfaction, but then it is phasic. It would not be a consistent work. Community plantation, for example, is an initiative often undertaken by individuals or groups. While it is ostensibly beneficial, without proper post-plantation care, the saplings perish, resulting in nothing.

Charity for self-promotion is no charity. It lacks the required zeal. In the example cited above, a lot of things are to be considered. From arranging land for plantation to the cost of saplings and taking care of saplings, watering them and their protection is a labour intensive and costly affair. In the absence of sound financial back-up, it is quite difficult to manage such activities. The result is obvious – the plants dry down, and the whole exercise becomes futile except for a few photographs that were taken during the process for publicity.

Individuals with commitment and genuine love for a cause can do wonders. Dashrath Maanjhi was such a committed person. He dug out a road, cutting a hillock to make the road in Bihar using a hammer and chisel. His solo effort is an example of grit, perseverance and determination that he accomplished the work despite gargantuan systemic problems apart from physical labour. He braved official corruption and people’s ridicule but was not deterred from his goal until it was achieved.

The success story of Ralegan Siddhi is the saga of one man’s effort to emancipate a village utterly ailing with social evils, perennial draughts and poverty. Anna Hazare, a retired army man, took up the uphill task. He faced challenges, invested his personal savings and, without thinking about results he dedicated himself to the cause. Ralegaon Siddhi became the hub of activities. Bonds were constructed, plantations were carried out and strict code of conduct was enforced against hooch.

Ralegan Siddhi, a small village in Ahmednagar District in Maharastra, India, is termed an oasis amidst bare hilly tracts, showing an example of great transformation from poverty to richness. It is also an exemplary work initiated by a man. He started his sojourn alone, but people gradually came and formed a caravan.

Jadav Payeng, sobriquet “Forest Man of India”, single-handedly took up the task of planting trees to save biodiversity. He converted a barren sandbar into a lush green forest on 1360 acres of land along the Brahmaputra river. Jadav faced many odds, resource crunch, community apathy and dejection, but undeterred, he worked tirelessly over several decades. His labour was fruitful, the patch is now teeming with life.

Examples of individual efforts are not only showing determination and zeal about the thing they believe in and are committed to doing good for society. Such persons are rare, and they have nothing to lose. They consigned their lives to a cause and mingled themselves with the cause. Such matchless personalities are like a lighthouse of society. They left an indelible mark on the annals of time.

Individual efforts that leave an impact on society and cause a change are rare. Their exemplary work, amalgamated with their determination, was the outcome of a ping that changed the lives of people and society. It is extraordinary and outshines. It is difficult for ordinary people to follow suit, but if encouraged by them, a positive change is inevitable.

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