How is the life of a security guard in remote places of Karnataka
Agencies employ security guards and deploy them to different places for patrolling by providing a small sum of money as wages. We see these people guarding buildings and other large companies and factories. However, we hardly get an opportunity to interact with them considering their job.
On my all-India cycle tour, I got the opportunity to meet Mr Somashekar Rudrappa, a security guard at a mutt (Mrityunjaya mutt) at Dandeli. He serves as a guard for an agency at the age of 62, even post-retirement.
The life of a security guard was nothing like I imagined it to be. He has the same commitments and lifestyle as most of us do. Most of all, he shares the same feelings and emotions as anyone else.
Why does one choose to work as a security guard in remote places in Karnataka?
Mr Somashekar has studied only class 3 and quit his education to do odd jobs and make a living. He initially worked as a labourer who lifted sandbags for small money and eventually settled down as a farm worker as he grew up. Born in the Haveri district, Somashekar sir turned out to be an irresponsible child who did not take care of the farmlands that he was supposed to inherit from his father.
He said that marrying a woman changed his life. His late wife had passed her 12th and was good at stitching. He said marrying her was the best thing to have happened to him in his life. When he married, his wife made sure that he settled down with a secure job that had fixed timings for work. Sir moved from Haveri to Dandeli and took up the job of a security guard at a paper manufacturing company. From there, he has worked as a security guard at multiple places all his life.
Lifestyle and difficulties of a security guard in remote places in Karnataka
The little money that he and his wife earned, they saved up for their kids education. Sir currently earns 15 thousand a month for the security post he is offered. Both his children are Bachelor in engineering graduates who are earning working for multinational companies. He said he didn’t take a penny loan to get them educated.
Unfortunately, circumstances have it that his wife was diagnosed with cancer a few years back and breathed her last. Sir said that the PF amount of 2 lakhs he received post-retirement, he spent the same on hospital charges the very next day. He also had to sell 2 acres of his dad’s inherited land to have her operated. He said that God always wishes to pluck the best flowers. He decided to take her but not him.
Today he lives with his two children one of whom has work from home and the other works close by on a hydra dam project. He cooks food each day for the both and works as a security guard at the temple at the night. They live in a rented house paying 5000 rupees rent a month. Sir continues to have a small piece of land at Haveri which he wishes to look after once he has his children married off.
Individuality of a security guard in remote places in Karnataka
To understand the mindset and the qualities of Somashekar sir, I asked him a couple of questions to decipher the same.
Justifications
On being asked why he continues to work and stays with his kids when his wish is to go back to Haveri and look after the land, Sir said that he wants to see his kids married first. He said that’s the only last wish he has that he wants to be completed.
Validations
Sir said that although he has some friends, he only keeps them in touch for social reasons. It is more of a give-and-take policy if not anything. He wants somebody to be of help to him in tough times and so he wants to help others if need be. Otherwise, he said he doesn’t keep in touch with many people.
Complains
Sir said that the only complaint that he had in life was of his wife passing away. He said he has to lead a lonely life when his children are married.
Apart from that, I constantly saw in my one night stay at the mutt, sir telling me that he can’t help but chew tobacco to stay awake. After warning him about the issues he would face that his wife did and how his children would suffer, he threw away the packet of tobacco and promised to quit it for good.
Materialism
On asking sir what he would do if he was given a large sum of money, without blinking his eye he said he would keep a small amount for himself and have the rest donated.
His ideas did not go beyond his family. All his justifications, validations, and complaints, were only about his own family. In my journey, I had seen one other family have the same trend (read this article and compare for yourself) not just with the justifications, validations, and complaints, but also the materialism. That makes me think. Does emphasis towards family stand so tall that one lets go of materialism for its sake? Comment below and let me know.
I am a 31 year young PhD graduate who has decided to travel the length and breadth of India on my cycle, to document the journey of meeting a vast array of people. In my journey, I intend to understand the characteristic features of the people of this nation and categorize them based on their demographics, age, profession, gender, traditions, and cultural differences.
A beautiful human being. Hope he finds the happiness he is seeking. Loss of loved one is difficult to bear. Despite his kids earning, he is still being independent. Wonder why is that? Is it necessity of money or fear of boredom now that his partner is no more. Wish him happiness…