A Pune housing society has once again highlighted the deeply-entrenched classism and casteism in India. A Twitter user shared a photo of two stickers put up on the elevators at a “posh” housing society in the city. One of them stipulates that a “house maid” (an outdated term for a house help) should use two particular elevators. The other sticker stipulates that “Milk man, news paper and courier distributor, laundry person, labours, painters and pets [sic]” are to use another particular elevator. Since being shared by Twitter user Sandeep Manudhane, it started a debate on the microblogging platform.
Some Twitter users claimed that it was not “segregation” but that it was done for a utilitarian purpose so that the service-providers could dispose of their duty more efficiently, while others argued that the reason was obviously classism and any other explanation might be “deliberate misinterpretation”.
Segregating humans comes naturally to Indians.From one of the biggest, most posh societies of Pune –> pic.twitter.com/O5QlfV66Up— Sandeep Manudhane (@sandeep_PT) May 5, 2022
1. This is a residential complex, not a corporate one.2. The language is problematic. It should be – "All service functions may be done via lifts X and Y. Otherwise all lifts are open to all".
Identifying professions and segregating them is plain wrong.
— Sandeep Manudhane (@sandeep_PT) May 5, 2022
What about the maids that help you keep your house clean? Also I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the paper wala, they take the lift to the top floor and work their way down using the stairs. It’s quicker for them too.— ritz1919 (@ritz19191) May 5, 2022
Not at all. The intentions are very clear but u seem to deliberately misinterpret it.— Beast Incarnate (@Lonebeast41) May 5, 2022
You are so wrong ???? service elevators are huge, gigantic and help transport carts and supplies…not coz they get “dirty” due to some people using them. Jeez!— ritz1919 (@ritz19191) May 5, 2022
This is, by no stretch, an unprecedented occurrence in India. Earlier this year, a Hyderabad housing society put up a notice asking ‘maids, drivers and delivery boys’ to not use main lifts or else they will be fined Rs 300. This came at a time when people were overdependent on food delivery apps to fulfil their day-to-day needs that were getting affected by COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns.
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