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Recession forces 24-yr-old computer engineer to join BMC as a labourer. At least I have a job, unlike my friends who are being laid off, he says

By Sudhir Suryawanshi

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Nilesh Gangurde delivers a rat trap to a complainant

A 24-year-old engineering graduate, Nilesh Gangurde, has made a very practical move in these recessionary times. Cocking a snook at things like status and prestige, he has taken up the only job available to him right now - that of a labourer at the BMC.

Nilesh, a BE in Computers from Terna Engineering College, Nerul, joined the BMC three months ago, after offers from IT firms, including Satyam, failed to materialise as a result of recession. Nilesh says he is okay with being a labourer, as he prefers security over status.

A couple of Nileshs batchmates work for firms like Tech Mahindra and Infosys, but most have not yet found jobs. I dont feel ashamed of working as a labourer in the BMCs Insecticide Department although I am a computer engineer. Some of my friends have been laid off from their jobs, says Nilesh, who scored 64% marks in his BE exam.

Typically, a labourer in the BMC begins his day with a muster roll call at 7 am, and is assigned work by the muster room in-charge. He sets out with at least 30 rat traps to complainants homes, hands over the traps and teaches people how to set them up. He also does fumigation rounds.

But thanks to Deepak Adsul, BMCs chief insecticide officer, Nilesh has access to computers. I was surprised to see that Nilesh had a BE in Computers while examining his certificates. Three days after he joined as a labourer in the B Ward, I brought him to my office and figured out his potential. For half the day, he does a labourers job and then receives complaints about rodents, mosquitoes, etc., at our call centre. He compiles data, writes letters and reports and updates files. He has found many time-saving shortcuts in our operating system. Right now, I am depending on him to compile our Monsoon Action Plan 2009 to control mosquito breeding and the rodent population, says Adsul.

Rs 11,000 a month

Nilesh lives in a 250-square foot tenement with his mother Pushpa at the Matunga Labour Camp. His home has an attic which used to be his refuge whenever his alcoholic father had fights with his mother.

My father was a sweeper at Sion Hospital . He always wanted me to study and get a better life. After he passed away in 2004, when I was 19, I had to support the family. After a few years I got campus placement at Satyam with an annual package of Rs 2.67 lakh. But just after that, the company got into trouble. Then, I sent my resume to other companies and also applied for my fathers job, says Nilesh.

Incidentally, Nilesh, a talented singer, has been a Fame Gurukool participant.

Nilesh with his mother, Pushpa, at their Matunga Labour Camp home

Earlier on, he remembers his school teacher giving him her sons old school uniform because he could never buy clothes, and his friends at Ruparel College paying his share for him during evenings out because he never had any pocket money. Fortunately, those days have passed. A laborers job may not be prestigious or highly paid, and may not match my qualification, but it does give me an assured salary of Rs 11,000 a month, says Nilesh cheerfully.

His mother used to work as a maid. But two years ago, while on her way to work, she was hit by a taxi and broke her thigh and pelvic bone. Now, she cannot even sit up. I cant move out of Mumbai because I have to look after my mother. I got an offer from an IT firm called Microland in Bangalore , but couldn't take it up. Any corporate house would move me around, but this job keeps me in Mumbai, says Nilesh, who took tuitions to keep the family going last year and has debts of Rs 70,000 from his sisters marriage expenses.

His mother knows Nilesh is not utilizing his education, but is happy that he has a job. Jaane do (let it be)... it makes us feel secure, she says.

Where does he go from here?

Nileshs colleagues often ask him why he is wasting his education, but he doesn't want to leave his BMC job, at least not until recession is over. He is also doubtful about getting back to IT. If I want to join a software company once the market gets back to normal, how will I explain my current profile? Also, after a few years, they will require new technology, he says. Instead, I can do something in IT at BMC... Maybe I can get an MBA degree, then a shift to the IT department if they give me a chance.

According to deputy municipal commissioner Rajendra Vale, BMC Class IV employees with an electrical or mechanical engineering degree are often absorbed in higher posts in the corporation. We have no such provisions for computer engineers. But there is always a first, Vale says. But Nilesh isn't worried. For now, he is happy with the opportunities his boss provides, and has come to terms with his situation.