The Most Disgusting Sight in Indian Governance: A Grown Man Holding an Umbrella Over His “Sir” While You Foot the Bill
Let’s call it what it is: one of the most pathetic, outdated, and downright humiliating spectacles in modern indian governance.
You’re walking down the street, paying taxes that fund government salaries, and there it is — a low-level employee, probably earning ₹25,000 a month, standing in pouring rain holding an umbrella over some entitled IAS officer or minister like a human shield.
Not a one-off. Not an exception.
A daily ritual.
And that’s before we even talk about the same guy being sent to pick up the boss’s kids from school, buy vegetables, walk the dog, or fetch cigarettes.
This isn’t “respect for seniors.”
This is taxpayer-funded slavery dressed up as protocol.
And in 2026, it’s still happening in a country that calls itself the world’s largest democracy.
1. The Umbrella Ritual That Should’ve Died in 1947
A grown man, paid by you, stands like a statue holding an umbrella so “Sir” doesn’t get a single raindrop on his bald head. Rain, sun, dust storm — doesn’t matter. The peon becomes a portable shade provider. Humiliating? Absolutely. Wasteful? Criminal.
2. The Full Private Servant Package
School drop-off and pick-up for the kids. Grocery runs. Dry-cleaning. Dog walking. Even carrying the boss’s wife’s shopping bags. All on government time, government fuel, government salary — yours.
3. The job They Were Actually Hired For
These employees were recruited to serve the public. File your RTI. Help at the tehsil. Maintain records. Instead, they’re reduced to human accessories for people who already have drivers, security, and house help.
4. The Feudal Mindset That Refuses to Die
This isn’t about “Indian culture.” It’s about power. The same officers who lecture about “seva” and “public service” treat government staff like personal property the second they get a red beacon or a government bungalow. Colonial hangover at its finest.
5. The Real Cost Nobody Talks About
Every hour this peon spends holding an umbrella or buying bhindi is an hour he’s NOT doing actual government work. Multiply that by thousands of offices across India, and you’re looking at crores of taxpayer money literally evaporating into ego service.
Bottom line?
This isn’t a small cultural quirk.
It’s a rotten, shameless display of entitlement that treats public servants like private slaves — all funded by the same public they’re supposed to serve.
Until we stop normalising this crap, “minimum government, maximum governance” will remain the biggest joke in indian democracy. Your taxes.
Their personal staff.
End of story.
You’re walking down the street, paying taxes that fund government salaries, and there it is — a low-level employee, probably earning ₹25,000 a month, standing in pouring rain holding an umbrella over some entitled IAS officer or minister like a human shield.
Not a one-off. Not an exception.
A daily ritual.
And that’s before we even talk about the same guy being sent to pick up the boss’s kids from school, buy vegetables, walk the dog, or fetch cigarettes.
This isn’t “respect for seniors.”
This is taxpayer-funded slavery dressed up as protocol.
And in 2026, it’s still happening in a country that calls itself the world’s largest democracy.
1. The Umbrella Ritual That Should’ve Died in 1947
A grown man, paid by you, stands like a statue holding an umbrella so “Sir” doesn’t get a single raindrop on his bald head. Rain, sun, dust storm — doesn’t matter. The peon becomes a portable shade provider. Humiliating? Absolutely. Wasteful? Criminal.
2. The Full Private Servant Package
School drop-off and pick-up for the kids. Grocery runs. Dry-cleaning. Dog walking. Even carrying the boss’s wife’s shopping bags. All on government time, government fuel, government salary — yours.
3. The job They Were Actually Hired For
These employees were recruited to serve the public. File your RTI. Help at the tehsil. Maintain records. Instead, they’re reduced to human accessories for people who already have drivers, security, and house help.
4. The Feudal Mindset That Refuses to Die
This isn’t about “Indian culture.” It’s about power. The same officers who lecture about “seva” and “public service” treat government staff like personal property the second they get a red beacon or a government bungalow. Colonial hangover at its finest.
5. The Real Cost Nobody Talks About
Every hour this peon spends holding an umbrella or buying bhindi is an hour he’s NOT doing actual government work. Multiply that by thousands of offices across India, and you’re looking at crores of taxpayer money literally evaporating into ego service.
Bottom line?
This isn’t a small cultural quirk.
It’s a rotten, shameless display of entitlement that treats public servants like private slaves — all funded by the same public they’re supposed to serve.
Until we stop normalising this crap, “minimum government, maximum governance” will remain the biggest joke in indian democracy. Your taxes.
Their personal staff.
End of story.