Chapter 436 Security
There is a guard post on the road leading to the steel plant, which is Kasik's territory.
He was the security captain, and as Devaram entered and exited the factory, he could always be seen clumsily writing down the license plate numbers of trucks entering and leaving the factory in a thick ledger, or answering calls from the office.
When Devaram first came to the factory, he was very reluctant to let the Yankee meet the general manager, Nambiar.
But later, when he learned that Devaram was Mr. Sur's man, his attitude changed drastically.
Seeing that Devaram was very interested in the factory, he was a little happy and was willing to talk about the factory.
Karthik is tall, well-kept with a neat beard and glasses.
The striped uniform he wore indicated his status as higher than that of the other security guards wearing gray shirts.
Although he seemed unobtrusive and always spoke to people in a calm tone, he attached great importance to hierarchy and never interacted with other security guards or ate with them.
However, the position of security captain seemed to have fallen from the sky for Kasik.
He had imagined other jobs for himself before, but as his dreams were shattered one by one, he became the current security captain.
Karthik hails from a village in Orissa and lost his father when he was very young.
Kasik's dream was to join the Air Force. He took the exam and passed it, and could have become a non-commissioned officer.
But his mother stopped him when he was about to leave home because she was afraid that her only son, Kasik, would die in the war in a remote place.
So Kasik gave up his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot and started a small business instead.
He had been in the poultry business for five years, buying chickens from farmers in Andhra Pradesh and selling them wholesale at the market in his village.
At the time, Kasik thought his business was doing quite well, but now when he thinks back on it, he says it was very unstable.
Karthik himself is responsible for sourcing in Andhra Pradesh, and several of his partners, who are all his childhood friends, are responsible for local sales.
Gradually, he discovered that his partners had been cheating him and that his business was actually losing money.
This was made worse by the fact that he had invested in a new house in the village.
“I saw everyone else doing it,” he said, “so I did it too, and built one of those houses you see in the movies, with urban furniture and sofas and things like that, and a big TV.
I've been deeply in debt from building that house and buying its furniture. Now I live in a rented room in Kusel, while I rent out my luxurious house."
He smiled and told Devaram his story. Before leaving, the workers in oil-stained clothes had to sign here and then be checked by security guards.
The truck slowly followed the workers, and the exhaust fumes from its diesel engine filled the entire yard.
A security guard from Bihar came to ask for leave from Karthik. The security guard had a pair of big eyes and was very eye-catching.
He wore gold earrings and his beard was carefully curled. When facing his subordinates, Kasik's expression immediately became serious.
Devaram was surprised to see that Karthik still retained some traces of his military life, especially when he was in uniform and inspected his subordinates who were also in uniform.
"How long have you been in the factory? Are you familiar with the workers here?" he asked.
"I closed my small business three years ago and started working for a private security company. I was then assigned to different factories in the area and only came to the Sur Steel Plant seven months ago."
"So you are familiar with this place?"
"You could say that," Kasik shook his head. "I have sixteen security guards under me, and one female security guard. They're all elderly people who work in Kusir."
He explained: "The factory hires Lambada women to clean and cook every day. They are carefully inspected when they leave. Each time they can steal about three or four kilograms of iron and hide them in their shirts. They can then sell them to scrap collectors and make a lot of money."
In the factory hierarchy, Karthik belongs to a privileged class, with a stable job, a good salary, and benefits like annual leave.
From the perspective of the camp, he belongs to the side that protects the interests of the factory.
This was good, just what Devaram wanted.
“Of the more than 1,000 workers in the factory, how many are local workers, such as those from Lambada?”
"There are probably one or two hundred of them. They are not many, but they are very influential."
"I understand, because their families are here too. They are native Kusir people."
"That's it. Pulling out one root can bring out a whole bunch of them."
"Then how many of them are troublemakers? They are the ones who like to stir up trouble."
"Hmm?" Kasik glanced at him.
"Listen," Devaram said, moving closer, "this is what Mr. Soul told me to do."
"Mr. Soul?!"
"Yes, it's Mr. Soul, the only Mr. Soul in India!"
"What does the great Mr. Soul want to tell you?" Kasik's voice trembled slightly.
"Someone wants to cause trouble, strike!"
"Ah this," Kasik was stunned, "Why would they do this?"
"You can't figure it out, right? Mr. Suer has been disbursing a lot of subsidies since he took over the steel mill. There was no such good thing before."
"Don't these scum have any conscience?" Kasik was indignant.
"It's all due to greed. Mr. Soul won't sit idly by. We need to find the troublemakers and nip the strike in the bud. Kasik, I think you're working for a security company now, right?"
"I'm an outsider, but I work very hard, sir!" Kasik stammered. "During the time I've been here, the factory has never had a problem!"
"It's because you did a good job that I came to see you on behalf of Mr. Soul. As long as this matter is done, you can transfer directly."
"Turn around?"
"I'm leaving the security company and joining the Sur Steel Plant. You know what that means, higher wages, no middlemen taking the difference, and a ton of benefits."
Bang! Kasik stood at attention, chest puffed out, and saluted, "Long live the great Mr. Soul!"
"Not bad," Devaram nodded with satisfaction, "Now I need a few reliable men."
"Mohan, come here!" Karthik turned around and shouted.
A man in a gray striped uniform came over. He was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and tall.
"You will follow this gentleman for the next few days and bring your fellow townsmen with you. Remember! You must obey any orders."
"Yes, sir." The young man named Mohan nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry, they're not locals, so it doesn't matter."
"Okay." Devaram nodded.
He just wanted to feel out the local workers' background now, but it was not time for a head-on confrontation, so there was no need for Kasik to intervene.
Mohan is from Assam, and this was his first time away from home, which explains why he didn't look as tired and miserable as the other workers.
Mohan left the village with two other men who were more experienced than him in migrant work.
They took a bus from the village to Guwahati, the capital of Assam, then took a train south, changing trains once to reach Goa.
Eventually, Mohan and his friends were hired as security guards at the steel mill.
As Mohan was explaining to Devaram how he came to be at the factory, his co-workers appeared in the corridor, having left their shift without permission.
One of them was called Dahan Ram, who was 28 years old and older than Mohan. Another was called Dabiyati, who claimed to be 20 years old but looked only 16.
Both of them are very thin and capable, and the oversized uniforms make them look even thinner.
When they heard that Devaram had been to Assam, they were very happy.
“People here don’t know anything about where we come from,” Mohan said with a laugh. “They always call us Nepalese.”
The workers from Assam didn't interact much with the local workers. Almost all the workers only interacted with workers from their hometowns, which may be one of the reasons why the workers' living quarters were so dirty.
The air was filled with an absolute masculine atmosphere, without women and children, and it is often women and children who are more likely to break racial boundaries and create a larger collective portrait.
Other aspects are also missing: children playing, women chatting, and the harmonious atmosphere that can be seen even in the worst slums are missing in the places where the workers live.
In the slums, at least there are the colorful saris drying by women, the aroma of food and the chilies being grown.
However, here, none of this exists, and it looks like the workers have no intention of staying here for long.
Mohan told Devaram that security is usually provided by Nepalis and Biharis, a mindset left over from the colonial era.
Just like when people mention the Red-Headed Indian, they will think of the Indian patrolmen in the concession.
Nepalis and Biharis are considered suitable for security work, while Assamese are often given job opportunities because they are mistaken for Nepalis.
All other security guards in the factory were from Bihar, except these three.
Very interesting stereotype, as if it is another extension of the caste system.
The only difference is that it is divided according to region, not surname.
"Do you know who has more prestige among the workers? I'm talking about outsiders, not Lambada people."
"You have to ask Sarkar about this matter. He is the middleman. Most of the migrant workers in the factory were introduced by him," said Mohan.
"Middleman? That's perfect." Devaram had planned to do so.
(End of this chapter)
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