金融時報:印度遭遇“唐頓效應(yīng)”

印度遭遇“唐頓效應(yīng)”

英劇《唐頓莊園》中的一些情節(jié)正在印度上演：仆人們越來越想為自己工作、擁有自己的生活。主人們抱怨合格的長期住家式仆人越來越難雇到。舊式的身份鮮明的主仆關(guān)系在悄然發(fā)生著改變，印度人的生活方式和思維方式同樣如此。那么其背后的經(jīng)濟(jì)原因是什么？社會影響怎樣？印度女作家Ranjani Iyer Mohanty進(jìn)行了解釋。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

reminiscent [rem?'n?s(?)nt] adj.懷舊的，回憶往事的；回憶錄作者

magnanimously [mæg'nænim?sli] adv.大度寬宏地

Dowager Countess 伯爵夫人，dowager意為貴族遺孀。在《唐頓莊園》里，由兩屆奧斯卡金像獎得主Maggie Smith扮演

Dalit[?dɑ?l?t] n.印度的賤民階級。 隨后提到的庫馬里·瑪雅瓦提Kumari Mayawati是出身賤民家庭的印度女國會議員

caste [kɑ?st] n.種姓

inverters and generators 逆變器和發(fā)電機(jī)，電力設(shè)備

refuse pick-up 垃圾收集

Cora Crawley 科拉·克勞利，格蘭瑟姆伯爵Robert Crawley的美國妻子，老伯爵夫人Violet Crawley的兒媳

conspicuous [k?n'sp?kj??s] adj.顯著的；顯而易見的

princely ['pr?nsl?] adj.高貴的，王子的

India’s masters suffer the ‘Downton’ effect (762 words)

Ranjani Iyer Mohanty

On a recent overseas flight, I had the chance to see several episodes of the famed British television series Downton Abbey. As I watched pre-dinner drinks being served, I realised that the English 1910s master-servant relationship portrayed on the show is reminiscent of 1990s India. Both seemed to be eras when masters and servants still lived together peacefully – with masters magnanimously waiting to be served and servants grateful for the chance to do so.

In 1990s India, for a monthly salary of Rs2000 ($36) plus room and board, one could get a live-in maid who was basically on call 24/7. Like the Dowager Countess on Downton Abbey, the Indian maid too may well have asked, “What is a weekend?”

Today, however, the Indian domestic labour market is undergoing a quiet but noticeable change: the servants no longer want to serve. First, they would rather work part-time than live-in. Second, they are asking for more money. Third, even when offered four times what they were making in the 1990s, they soon want to leave.

The reason seems obvious. Due to the past 20 years of economic reform and growth in India, people who work as servants now have other opportunities. They can work at the multitude of offices, shopping malls, hair salons and restaurants that have sprung up across the country, even if just as cleaning staff. They can work a limited number of hours and therefore have a personal life. They can earn more money and afford better things for their families. And, most importantly, they can have a sense of professionalism and self-respect. Of course, the rise of Dalit politicians – led by Kumari Mayawati and arguing the rights of the “backward classes” – may also be supplying inspiration.

With India’s ancient caste system, there has always been a ready-made servant’s class just waiting to be used. Accustomed to unquestioning and long-lasting loyalty from their domestic help over the ages, many people (OK, the masters) now complain that servants don’t know their place any more. In fact, the trouble may be that servants are just beginning to realise what their place – or places – could be.

From their point of view, servants have heard of India’s tremendous growth, they have watched their masters’ increasing and often conspicuous wealth, and they have seen shiny new products advertised on TV. They too have dreams for their children, and these do not involve washing someone else’s dishes. And so, in most instances, they quietly leave the domestic labour market for greener pastures. But sometimes, the departure is violent: there are cases reported in the newspapers daily of live-in housekeepers who have killed their employers (usually elderly), stolen their money and run away.

We’re now in the middle of the transition. But while the servants may be ready for the change, the masters are not. We need them more than they need us.

India still does not have all the modern conveniences of the west or a reliable working infrastructure. Milk has to be boiled to ensure that it is safe to drink. Water has to be purified before it can be drunk. There is no formal refuse pick-up system. Electricity outages are common so inverters and generators need to be managed. Water supply is not consistent so water needs to be stored, pumps need to be turned on and sometimes water tankers called. And something is always in need of repair. On top of all that, of course, there are the factors of laziness and superiority. How nice – and princely – to be handed that drink without having to get out of your chair.

Some masters, though, sensing the winds of change, are increasing the salaries of their servants and helping them do things they could not manage by themselves – such as getting their children into good schools, providing them with healthcare and filling out forms to open their bank accounts and get identity cards.

At last, masters are trying to please the servants and their relationship is less top-down. Cora Crawley asks her mother-in-law: “Are we friends, then?” The Dowager Countess replies: “We are allies, my dear, which can be a good deal more effective.” In the same way, masters and servants work better together.

While Downton Abbey’s future lies in maintaining that old world for its audiences, ours lies in moving ahead. Not being able to find a full-time live-in servant is a sign of upward social mobility of the lower classes and therefore a good thing. Even if we have to get our own drink.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測題目：

1.What is the main topic of this article?

A. The master-servant relationship in India is less top-down.

B. Downton Abbey has brought about nostalgia about the 1910s.

C. India's labour market is experiencing noticeable rise in wages.

D. Live-in servants are hard to find these days.

答案(1)

2.What are the changes in Indian labour market?

A. Domestic servants are less willing to work as live-ins.

B. Wages are rising.

C. Fewer people are working as long-term servants.

D. All of above.

答案(2)

3.What do those changes in labour market imply?

A. Household servants enjoy a strong sense of professionalism.

B. India's poor infrastructure is a reason why servants want other jobs.

C. India's economic reform and growth are reshaping the society.

D. Servants-turned-labourers will lose good education and healthcare.

答案(3)

4.What does the writer think of the ‘Downton’ effect?

A. Downton Abbey is very popular and influential in India.

B. India’s ancient caste system is bad for its economy.

C. Masters and servants are more like allies rather than friends.

D. It's a sign of upward social mobility and should be welcomed.

答案(4)

* * *

(1) 答案：A.The master-servant relationship in India is less top-down.

解釋：文章開頭提到《莊園》里那種主仆身份鮮明的人際關(guān)系，是為了介紹印度正在發(fā)生變化的主仆關(guān)系，其經(jīng)濟(jì)原因以及社會影響。 顯然整篇文章都是圍繞它展開。

選擇正確答案

(2) 答案：D.All of above.

解釋：ABC三項都是文章中提到的，從三個側(cè)面反映了印度勞動力市場的變化。 盡管包吃包住且工資還在上漲（offered four times what they were making in the 1990s），但住家的、長期服務(wù)的仆人還是越來越少。

(3) 答案：C.India's economic reform and growth are reshaping the society.

解釋：與《唐頓》時期的英國和最近30年的中國類似，經(jīng)濟(jì)增長讓人們擇業(yè)的機(jī)會增多，工作流動性加大。 增長了見識的普通勞工越來越不愿長期待在一個崗位上，收入增加后也更追求sense of professionalism and self-respect。 而一些舊有的生活方式、思維方式不斷遭遇沖擊。你能想起《唐頓》里相關(guān)的情節(jié)嗎？ B的意思是，印度的水電等基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施落后，常常需要人工燒水或煮牛奶，這是主人們需要雇用仆人的動力。

(4) 答案：D.It's a sign of upward social mobility and should be welcomed.

解釋：作者在最后一句說：很難找全職住家仆人，意味著社會下層的成員有了更大的向中上層流動的機(jī)會，這是件好事。 即使這意味著我們再有錢也（雇不到仆人）得自己拿喝的。