Security Guards
A note about my observations on security guards
The idea of having a security guards seems like an elitist one. But in reality these are generally weak and frail men (middle aged or sometimes closer to retirement) who might not survive a fight with a gym-going college kid.
This is probably because they are underpaid and the ‘threats’ perceived by their employers are not that great.
Generally, I see these guards doing these tasks:
Security/managing parking spots for their owners.
Cleaning cars and helping the owners with minor errands.
Keeping a watch near building gates and society entrances.
Being a sort of deterrent for petty thieves who might have been successful without a human watching over houses at night.
Being a security guard can be boring. You can see them sitting in a cabin or on a chair in the open. Some of them can be seen sleeping at night.
There’s no big threat during daytime. And even if they come, the best that a guard can do is to stop the person/persons for a while and call up the cops. They are often unarmed and unfit to fight a goon if the situation arises.
The only source of entertainment for these people is their mobile phone. Some can be seen following cricket or watching YouTube videos related to politics.
Parking Training
The guard who is responsible for the parking space in my office building inadvertently turned out to be a parking trainer for me. During my initial driving days, I was quite poor at parking. I have scratched my car’s body against those in the vicinity, all thanks to my inexperience with driving.
But this guard, somehow struck at my undeserved ego when I failed to park perfectly. At the same time, he offered tips and guidance to park better. This struggle went on for months before I had finally acquired the skill.
This closet perfectionist applauded me one fine morning.
Sir ab aap seekh gaye.
This resulted in a wide smile on my face and it made me feel that I had accomplished something.
Post-Retirement Fate?
I often wonder what might happen to these guards once they are too old to do this job. Do they get to chill at their ancestral villages? Or do they move on to some other job?
I am pretty sure some of them are forced to save and send money back to their homes. Their living conditions and mental health might never improve unless they have other skills or entrepreneurial ambitions.
Though I think about these scenarios, I don’t have the gumption to ask these questions. It might be offensive or even insulting to question them about the nature of their job or their future prospects.
Maybe they are happy with their jobs. Or maybe not. I am not sure.