In recent times, a new form of discrimination has been plaguing our society – discrimination towards delivery executives, maid servants, and other domestic workers like plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc. Housing societies and apartment complexes in big cities like Bengaluru and Gurgaon have put up notices barring these people to not share the lift with residents, to use the service lift assigned specifically to them or not to use lifts at all!
In many such apartment complexes, notices have been spotted addressing delivery guys, asking them not to use the lift. Recently, residents of a complex in Bengaluru asked maid servants not to roam around in the park or sit on the sofa at the reception area because it makes residents “uncomfortable”.
In another such case, a man named Makarand took to Twitter to share a disappointing story. He narrated that he was getting into the lift at his apartment building when a delivery guy came along but he didn’t enter the lift. When asked, the delivery guy said that in the previous building where he went, he was asked not to share the lift with a resident.
I was getting into the lift in my apartment building when a delivery person came along. He stopped at the door. I called him in and asked why he hadn’t entered. He said “In the last building I delivered something (food), I was told to wait and NOT SHARE THE LIFT WITH A RESIDENT”
— Makarand (मकरंद) (مکرند)🌈 (@Makarand_S) June 21, 2023
What society are we living in? We don’t mind our food being carried by people we are not willing to share lifts with. Please don’t tell me that the ones who ordered food are not the ones who stopped him. We discriminate constantly. We are a sick society.
— Makarand (मकरंद) (مکرند)🌈 (@Makarand_S) June 21, 2023
Many people on Twitter shared similar experiences while others slammed such incidents and called it new-age racism. Have a look:
It’s happened with me many times and I cannot wrap my head around the fact that someone would deny entry to another human..also once in a very posh building I went into the service lift, the watchman ran to get me out..if someone sees me in the ‘maids’ lift he will be in trouble
— Sanaya (@sanaaya_88) June 22, 2023
That’s because it is a middle class apartment building. The true classy ones have separate lifts for ‘them’.
— Meeta Kabra (@meetalks) June 21, 2023
This nonsense is there in many buildings …even domestic helps have to wait for a Service Lift 🙄…Gora Sahibs are still around 😔
— Air Veteran 🇮🇳 (@gitika9) June 21, 2023
Have seen a similar trend w.r.t. domestic helpers too so much so that in some places there are notices stuck near the elevator that they should not use the elevator or that they must use separate elevators 🙁
— ✨ (@sojourning_v) June 21, 2023
The class hierarchy in India is so ingrained. The lack of Respect for labor is superseded only by the lack of respect for life
— Cliffhanger (@cliffy_dude) June 22, 2023
I had a similar experience this morning. I was waiting for the lift with a delivery person and when the lift came, I entered and he just remained outside, then looked at me and asked whether he could come in. It’s horrible that they’ve been conditioned to asking for permission.
— Sanat Mudur (@Sanat_Mudur) June 22, 2023
It is classist and downright inhumane to not allow delivery executives to share public spaces with residents. These are the same people who bring us food, groceries and other items that WE have ordered online. We can eat the food that they bring but not share a lift with them? What kind of hypocrisy is this?