For the last few months i traveled many Tani inhabited places and now here is a piece of writing which i encountered in Matmara,Northeast India's most flood ravaged area located in Assam's Lakhimpur district.
I experienced this happening on June 01,2009 when i was visiting Matmara to see the latest geotube fabric embankment construction sanctioned at Rs.142 crore whereas the contract has been handed over to a Malayasian corporate named Emaskira by the Assam government.
I was taking rest in a shop front after reaching the place because i felt exhausted after riding the bicycle in the scorching heat of beginning June.I saw a group of people gathering beneath a tree in circle.Therefore i asked my brother to enquired the matter who was also coming with me.Without waiting for the result,I got into the place after i heard someone speaking in English ,then i asked my Tani fellows who were in the circle on the matter .
The fellows briefed me the matter in Tani(Mishi) language.The fact was that our Tani people were appealing a foreign engineer,a fat man who was in his forties,to increase their wage rate of night working hours.Our people ,who were engaged as labours to fix bamboo in the river bank, were insisting for Rs.20 per hour but the company man was offering them only Rs.10 per hour for the night work.Our people were helpless because there was no one to translate there speaking into English,just the folks were saying ok,ok.
I landed on the scene and helped out our people's demand to the engineer.I told the fat Malayasian that our people want larger wage rate since night jobs are risky and these simple people has no place to get work because everything has gone in the repeated floods.At first the foreigner responded me by increasing the wage upto Rs 12 but said it is the right international wage rate and they can't do more.But our people got angry after hearing it and said if Rs 100 is paid for eight hours work in day time how could it be possible.
I told the engineer again word of every word in English after listening the people's words.Two Assamese speaking subcontractors ,i guessed,were standing by the side.After that the Malayasian murmurred with the two Asomiyas.By then,the scene was becoming hotter as our people were gradually turning excited.Again,the wage rate was now increased up to Rs 15.10 per hour even our people were seemed unsatisfied till.Our people spoke me in Tani and asked me to tell the engineer that they are not working if the wage rate was so,also our people will not allowed other men to work there if they are not given the said wage.
Meanwhile,i explained the Malayasian and the Asomiya duo in English what the people had told.Ah!By now they increased the rate up to Rs 18.75 per hour and said that this is the exact international wage rate and they are paying their best.At last our people seemed to be satisfied and slowly got dispersed.One or two asked where i was from and thanked me for the assistance.
I want to asked my fellow readers of my blog,isn't the Malayasian corporate exploiting our people by taking the advantage of people's ignorance?
If not,why the corporate's international wage rate went zig zag in a few minutes?
