Art. 43 of the Constitution of India makes it mandatory for the Government to ensure that all the workers in India do have decent standard of life and the opportunity for “full enjoyment of leisure”. The said Article reads thus: “The State shall endeavour to secure, by suitable legislation or economic organisation or in any other way, to all workers, agricultural, industrial or otherwise, work, a living wage, conditions of work ensuring a decent standard of life and full enjoyment of leisure and social and cultural opportunities and, in particular, the State shall endeavour to promote cottage industries on an individual or co-operative basis in rural areas.”
Importance of leisure
Leisure time provides opportunity for thinking, invention and discoveries which pave way for civilisational advancement. Music that enthrals the soul of human beings, poems and all the artworks born out of happy minds are the outcome of comfortable leisure.
The Inception Report of the Global Commission on the “Future of Work”, refers to the Philadelphia Declaration of 1944, which recognised and stressed on the workers’ well-being, not just “physical”, but “moral” and “intellectual” too. The extent of moral and intellectual well-being of the workers is directly proportionate to the extent of leisure made available to the workforce. Happy mind that has availed itself of quality leisure time dedicates itself whole-heartedly to the work assigned during working hours and produces more and more.
The Government of India brought into existence the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 on 15.03.1948, the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 on 19.04.1948 and the Factories Act, 1948 on 23.09.1948. The very fact that these three labour welfare laws were enacted without waiting for the Constitution to be framed would show the significance that the leaders of independent India had attached to the labour welfare measures. The Factories Act ensured eight hours of work per day, i.e.., 48 hours per week. No adult worker was allowed to work for more than 9 hours in a day subject to 48 hours in a week.
It was only after India’s independence in 1947, the labour in the sub-continent could heave a sigh of relief after almost a millennium in the South and two and a half in the North. For, the Indian labour suppressed and oppressed under the inhuman and inhumane four-fold balkanisation called Chaturvarna system, had not known what human rights were. As per the law that was thrust on the labour class then, they were called as ‘Sudras’, and were classified as ‘low-born’ (Kul-heena). The Law of Manu unequivocally declared that the Sudras can be compelled to servile work. Chapter VIII, Slogan 413, of the Law of Manu says, “But a Sudra, whether bought or unbought, he may compel to do servile work; for he was created by the Self-existent (Svayambhu) to be the slave of a Brahmana.” The burden of bearing the substantial cost of running the government was shifted to the shoulders of the labour class while the upper class, called Vysyas and Kshatriyas relatively enjoyed the privilege of shouldering less.
Brahmins never shouldered that burden. On the other hand, they caused laws to be made making it mandatory for the king to worship the Brahmins after rising early in the morning and to follow their advice. It was not just the learned Brahmins who were to be worshipped but also the ignorant, as a Brahmin, any Brahmin was “a great divinity”. The Law of Manu, Chapter 7, Verse 37 says, “Let the king, after rising early in the morning, worship Brahmanas who are well versed in the threefold sacred science and learned (in polity) and follow their advice.”. Chapter 9, Verse 317 complements it saying, “A Brahmana, be he ignorant or learned, is a great divinity, just as the fire, whether carried forth (for the performance of a burnt oblation) or not carried forth, is a great divinity”. That was how the Brahmins created a political order in which they were not required to pay any tax while the labour class was required to work for the government without wages. “A brahmana is completely exempted from tax or revenue. So far as craftsmen, artisans, Sudras and all those who earn livelihood by physical labour are concerned, they should be made to work gratis for the king once every month.” (Page 179 - The Cultural Glory of Ancient India: A literary overview – Sures Chandra Banerji – 1917 – First published in India in 2000.).
Visti - the Unpaid Labour
During the period when the fiction Ramayana was written in the 2nd century B.C, which fact remains confirmed from the very texts of Ramayana, as has been recorded by R.C. Majumdar, in his article titled 'Evolution of Religio Philosophic Culture in India' – Page 43 – The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol. IV, The Religions, The Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture, He says, "The first and the last Books of the Ramayana are later additions. The bulk, consisting of Books II--VI, represents Rama as an ideal hero. In Books I and VII, however Rama is made an avatara or incarnation of Vishnu, and the epic poem is transformed into a Vaishnava text. The reference to the Greeks, Parthians, and Sakas show that these Books cannot be earlier than the second century B.C……”. That Ramayana of 200 BC says that there was even a section among the Sudras who were made to work without pay.
Donations galore for Brahmins
As far as the North was concerned, donation to Brahmins was made necessary in the social life of each and every Non-Brahmin on each and every happy or sad occasion in his life. In the second century BC, when the Ramayana story was written, donation to Brahmins from public funds was highlighted and glorified. Accepting such donations was not considered by the Brahmins as an undignified and embarrassing act. Propagation of Ramayana was meant to persuade the Non-Brahmins to make donations to Brahmins.
Rama was shown to be donating a lot of wealth to the Brahmins, even when he was in the midst of sorrow of going for exile. "After disbursing great wealth among the Brahmins, the two Raghavas (Rama and Lakshmana) along with Sita, went to see their father" (Page 117 - Valmiki Ramayana condensed in the Poet's own words by Pandit A. M. Srinivasachariar - G.A. Natesan & Co, Madras - Sixth Edition. For more, ref. Page 47 - Right to Priesthood by Vaeyurutholibangan).
Oottupura, the perfect instrument for total leisure
The scene in the South was even more significant. People were made to believe that donations to Brahmins would ensure them heaven. Consequently, entire history of the South after the 8th century AD, was full of Wills of the rich people, to use the income from their land to set up choultries for feeding the Brahmins. Events in Kerala would show that all the Brahmins were fed by temples and there was no real need to do any cooking in their houses. King Marthanda Verma of who ruled Travancore for 30 years from 1729 AD, established Oottupura (feeding houses) in the temples throughout his kingdom for the daily feed of the Brahmins. His Murajapam conducted once in six years, “for feeding the Brahmins at a fabulous cost” was one more step invented by the Brahmins of that day to ensure that every Brahmin enjoyed leisure throughout his life, without any need to any work. This resulted in the common people of that “Gods Own Country” being “taxed mercilessly and all the available public revenue came to be dumped in a cellar alleged to be situated beneath the Pagoda at Trivandrum" (Page 197 - Right of Temple Entry - P. Chidambaram Pillai:). A sadistic “Poll Tax” had been levied and recovered by the King Marthanda Verma at the behest of his Brahmin minister Ramayyan, on every Eezhava and the other suppressed class of people. And it had to be paid by those suppressed class of people, just because they belonged to the most suppressed class. (Ref: Page 394 - A Social History of India - S.N. Sadasivan). This ensured complete leisure for each and every Brahmin in the Travancore empire, and denied time to the Labour even to think and ponder over the issues affecting them. In regard to Tamil Nadu, Srirangam provided the goal post for the rest. “The wall of the outermost square (of Srirangam temple) is about four mile in circuit. The pagoda owed its celebrity to the supposed possession of the very image of Vishnu which Brahma used to worship; the myriads of pilgrims flocking to it sufficed, at one time, to maintain 40,000 Brahmins in voluptuous idleness”, said Henry Beveridge in his book ‘A Comprehensive History of India - Vol. I’ - Page 579-580, published in 1862. They saw to it that even the least qualified among them did not go hungry under any circumstances, but were provided with sumptuous food under the pretext of the ceremony called shradhdha. They had secured, thus, for themselves a life of guaranteed idleness and the absence of necessity to work and earn their food.
Oozhiyam - the Unpaid Labour, the perfect weapon to deny leisure
In Kerala, the suppressed classes had to do “Oozhiyam”, the conscripted unpaid labour without wages. By Oozhiyam, “they had to clean temples and government offices, carry food and grass for the elephants and horses in the palace and also feed them. They had to hold the lamps in the Hindu temples. They had to dig pits to capture elephants; carry salt from the salt pans to the selling or loading station on head. Guard the logs and timber in the forest. For all these works, they were taken to far off places away from their families. For these works, they were given only food. They were not given any wages”. Such a gratuitous labour was exacted by the Government “from the Ezhavas, the Syrian Christians, the Sudras (Nayars) of lower categories and the low castes in general. Oozhiyam was employed for any business that called for physical labour such as construction of roads, carrying of heavy head loads, pounding of paddy, cultivation of government land, cutting and splitting of wood for temples and their Oottupuras and host of such other activities” (Page 395 - A Social History of India - S.N. Sadasivan). The condition of the people of India who were doing physical labour was so grim throughout the history of the nation after the arrival of the Brahmins in the North first and then in the South in the eighth century AD.
Control over temples ensured lifetime leisure
Usage of temple for the civil control of the society and for using the temple funds to promote Brahminical interests became possible for the Brahmins, after they infiltrated into the native idolatrous religion of the Non-Brahmins and became priests. While it started happening in the North in the era of Chanakya, that infiltration was made in an organised manner in the 8th century AD. Agnihothiram Thathachariyar has accepted the fact that the culture of idol worship is alien to Brahmins, the Smarthas. He says “Vedas are supreme in Smartha religion. Its foremost principle is to realise Brahmam. In this religion, God is not one but several; Worship of Suriya, Indira, Varuna, Ganesha is practiced. Smarthas are Brahmins. Its dogma is that men alone will attain salvation. It also believes that Smartha women will attain Mukthi (salvation) only after being born as Smartha men. It believes that any offering to Gods can be made only through Yagnas (through sacred fire) and it does not believe in idol worship. Therefore, Smarthas have no temples as their own. According to Agni Hothiram Thathachariyar, before 8th Century, only the Non-Brahmins performed the pooja rituals in the temples. After 8th Century, Brahmins captured the performance of poojas and rituals in the temples. Poojas and Archanas are later developments. It may be performed by all. The word pooja is not a Sanskrit word. It has been taken from Tamil word “Poo Sei” (பூசை). They have changed it as Pooja, a Sanskrit word, using the letter “Ja”. Performing (worshipping) with flowers is Poosai. Generally, “Nature” is the God for Brahmins. No idol worship at all. They do only Sandhya vanthanam, (a form of worship during sun-rise and sun-set). Later, they appropriated the temple worship as their own.” (Para IV (iv) in Page 64 of the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette Extraordinary dated 01.12.2008 carrying the report of the High-Level Committee Chaired by Mr. Justice A. K. Rajan). The result of such infiltration was management and diversion of temple funds for Brahmins’ welfare.
Increasing working hours, overtime and spread over
When Otto van Bismark wanted to assume more powers for the government he started making laws providing various benefits to the working population. He set up exclusive hospitals for them and enacted laws to provide disablement benefits, old age benefits, maternity benefits etc., and created atmosphere for more productivity through “willing participation of labour”. But the present rulers at Delhi, who work for the resurrection of the Chaturvarna era of the days of yore, want to create atmosphere only for slave labour in India. So, they enacted law in the year 2014 to increase the overtime. This anti-labour proposal was given a cynical and sadistic title called Bill for Improving Safety and Health of Workers Act, 2014.
Mr. Narayana Murthy’s suggestion of 70 hours work
Now, Mr. Narayana Murthy, the founder of the Infosys, says that the youth should work for 70 hours in a week, which means that one should put in 12 hours work per day for six days in a week. The issue of concern is that he reiterated the same again in January 2024. When asked, by the journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, if he was sticking by his comment that 70 hours a week should be there as a way to give back to society, Narayana Murthy said 'absolutely' but quickly added that he did not think hours were important. "No, I don't think 70 hours is important. All that it means is, that you have to be very productive, you have to work very hard like the Germans did after World War I, like the Japanese did and we owe it to the poor people in our society to work hard and make the quality of their life a little bit better." (India Today - 13.01.2024).
He did not care to see that the Microsoft’s productivity boosted by 40% when it had only four-days week, with three holidays per week (Times of India 05.11.2019).
He refused to see that the four-day working week was an “overwhelming success” in Iceland. “A number of other trials are now being run across the world, including in Spain and by Unilever in New Zealand. The consumer goods giant is giving staff in New Zealand a chance to cut their hours by 20% without hurting their pay in a trial. (Indiatimes - 06.07.2021). But Mr. Narayana Murthy would not care even to make trial in his organisation to see for himself whether shorter working hours would result in more productivity. He belongs to the past, when the need for leisure for employees was never a criterion. He does not care why the present rulers in India want to crush the rights of labour through four new Labour Codes, and do not want to bring in legislation in India like the Fair Labour Standards Act in Germany.
What is more interesting and more annoying is the fact that Mr. Narayana Murthy tries to project that his suggestion about the increased working hours was in the interest of the poor people in our society to make the “quality of their life a little bit better”.
Strange! Mr. Murthy is talking against the provisions of Art. 43 of the Constitution of India and is making attempts at snatching away even the available ‘quality’ in the life of the poor people, by denying them even the existing leisure time. If only Mr. Murthy is so interested in the welfare of the poor people of India, he should have told the present-day rulers at Delhi that Germany and Japan (1) do not have Electoral Bonds, (2) do not permit foreign funds to political parties and (3) do not have Electronic Voting machines for poll.
Moreover, he should tell the Nagpur regime at Delhi that the enactments like the CAA & NRC are uncivilised enactments intended to make stateless the Muslims who live in India for centuries, and that that law should not be enforced, because, his own son-in-law could not have become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, if there are laws like the CAA & NRC in the UK. That would be a real service by him for the welfare of the entire India.
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