What is a cup of tea? Besides being a subtle reminder of our colonial hangover, it serves (pun intended) as a symbol of Indian hospitality. And yet, the brew that is at the core of our Indianness, also mirrors the disparities within our society. There is an invisible connection between the colour of one’s collar and the vessel he or she is served tea in, that we don’t pay much attention to.
A simple question to take you down the rabbit hole is this: Do you drink tea in the same cups as the domestic help or the service class? It is a question we asked ourselves, not just as UrbanClap, but as millennials who thought we had come a long way from the regressive ideas of generations past. We decided to go out and ask the public, but as is typical of social media, people questioned our intent instead of introspecting. Few openly admitted that they behave differently with the help. Even fewer went ahead to say that in the corners of their kitchen shelves lie steel tumblers and old cups for the retinue of cooks, maids, drivers, security guards and gardeners who hold their forts. Sadly, these are some kinds of ‘reservations’ we have unconsciously consented to.
For an organisation like UrbanClap, where blue, white and pink (customer experience folks warrant a collar of their own!) collars work together, Labour Day means that equality is no more dispensable but integral. Or as little Myra put it in the film, ‘Hum sab same hain.’