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Salman Saleem, whose LinkedIn bio defines him as Creative Head at the Vibes Network, turned a delivery agent for a day and asserted that it “completely changed the way he looks at work, value, and dignity.” Saleem has shared a powerful account of what it really feels like to be the man on the scooter delivering your urgent grocery order in 10 minutes or less on social media. His story reveals an uncomfortable truth: “Untouchability is not only limited to caste.”“As I collected my order and raced to deliver it, braving the heat and chaotic traffic, I realised this job isn’t just about speed. It’s about being invisible. It’s about being looked down upon.” While the app may call them “delivery partners,” society often sees them as anything but. The experience this former Blinkit worker had mirrors what many in the gig economy face daily — indifference, hostility, and exclusion.Lifts? Not for You.In posh apartment complexes — the kind where residents post Instagram stories about “equality” and tweet threads about social justice — delivery workers are routinely barred from using the main lift. “I was asked to take the stairs — sometimes up to the fourth floor — or use the service lift. Not once. Not twice. Almost every time.”The irony is piercing. The same people who fight digital battles against casteism and racism are the ones physically segregating delivery workers, drawing invisible lines between “us” and “them.”Respect is Not a LuxuryFrom traffic cops who wave off delivery guys like “second-class travellers,” to SUV owners who won’t yield an inch on the road, the message is loud and clear: your job makes you less.“They think we’re desperate, poor, or uneducated. But many of us are students, artists, or people trying to make ends meet with dignity. Is that such a crime?”The issue isn’t just about a single app or company. It’s about a culture that hasn’t caught up with the humanity of the people who keep its convenience economy running.Time for ChangeCompanies like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy have a role to play beyond logistics and delivery. It’s time they invested in awareness campaigns that tackle the everyday discrimination their workers face — from being barred from buildings to being denied basic respect in public spaces.The post has evoked a plethora of likes and comments, with several chiming in the comment section.A user wrote: “That’s the point — the people who are most vocal about how we should treat everyone as equal are mostly the ones who hold judgmental attitudes. Why? Because these things are so nice to say, but when it comes to implementation, they just get rid of it.”Another shared a similar incident: “Something similar I encountered — I had a moment recently that really stuck with me. A Zepto delivery guy got into the lift, and within seconds, a lady asked, ‘Aap delivery wale ho na?’ She questioned him twice and told him he should’ve used the other lift. He calmly said it wasn’t working, and the guard had asked him to use this one. Her expression after that was so dismissive — it made me uncomfortable. Why can’t he share the lift with us? We’re all just people trying to make a living. I mean, we are all humans, breathing the same air. No one deserves to be treated differently because of their job. Let’s change that mindset — starting today.”A third user said: “This is so disheartening to read. Discrimination never disappeared from our society, it just took different forms — and that’s the saddest part of living in a world like ours.”
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