Building a future, one car battery at a time
A car electrician busy in work in Sector I-10 — his head bent under the hood of a black 1998 model Honda City — is oblivious to what the 1st of May means for people involved in manual labour. Just 21, Faizan is enthusiastic and positive about his future, unlike older, more experienced electricians and mechanics around him, who have seen far too many hardships in life to believe that there’s is light at the end of the tunnel. Casually describing his career choice as the “easier” option, the young man said, “It was a choice between carrying heavy goods here-and-there or getting your hands dirty as a mechanic. I opted for neither and decided to become a car electrician instead.”
Originally from Abbotabad, Faizan, who is the oldest child and the sole bread earner for his family of six, came down to Islamabad with a cousin in 2005 looking for work. He had quit school after eighth grade, calling education a luxury he and his family could ill afford.
“This is my education,” he firmly states when asked if he would ever want to go back to school. “It’s very technical work and every day you learn something new. I’m still learning from my ustad (a more experienced electrician to whom Faizan is an apprentice),” he said.
Earning between Rs100 and Rs200-a-day, Faizan’s meagre income helps run the household back in Abbotabad. Although his family owns a bit of land back home, Faizan believes that a brighter future depends on his newly acquired skills. “I have to work and keep going till I have enough to start my own business,” he said.
While the workers around him expressed their desire to go to the Middle East and do manual labour, Faizans shakes his head and offers a solid indictment of the common belief. “Since childhood, I’ve been taught that one must work for their country and help it progress. Yes, I am just an electrician, but if I do my work honestly and to the best of my abilities, I’m doing justice to my country,” he said.
However, he isn’t without complaints. “We are probably the most ignored class in the country. Instead of facilitating us by investing in the industry or even providing a proper market area for us, the government simply ignores our existence,” Faizan said as he went on to explain the dilemma of a daily wage worker. “If I get paid Rs5,000, I budget for the future with that amount in mind. Even one rupee less and planning ka pura circuit kharab ho jata hai! (the budget plan ‘short circuits’),” he joked while checking a car battery with an e-load device.
Car fixed, Faizan brings down the hood of the car and states with finality, “I’d protest and complain about our rights, but then its time and money wasted, and who will listen to us anyway?” as he picks up his tool kit and moves to the next car in line.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 1st, 2012.
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