Saliva is meant for something else please...

April 08, 2012 02:53 am | Updated December 04, 2021 11:41 pm IST

It is disgusting to see helpers in supermarkets picking out polythene bags using saliva. They put food items into the covers with the same infected hands. It is harmful for the customers as well as the salesperson. Not only the managements, even the public should be aware of this dirty habit. They shouldn't hesitate to correct the person who indulges in it.

Apart from the helpers transmitting a good amount of harmful bacteria from saliva, their intake of chemical substances which they handle while touching their tongue for wetness could cause potential damage to their own health.

This doesn't stop with the supermarkets; it is happening in almost all public workplaces. It offers me solace when I see some banks using finger wet sponges while counting currency. While issuing tickets, conductors are notorious for using saliva. Government authorities should bring some sort of awareness among these public servants.

When I was a kid, I witnessed a conductor using his wristband as a finger wet tool for tearing off tickets. The band had a dial-like design with a small piece of wet sponge at the front. Why can't his good example be followed? Why can't government authorities provide those finger wet bands to all our bus conductors? It will be in the interest of personal hygiene of the conductors themselves as much as of the passengers. Knowingly or unknowingly, they swallow the chemical dye used for printing tickets.

The licking habit, is observed at many cash counters at workplaces. Thanks to online ticket reservation, this obnoxious practice is greatly reduced in cinemas. However, when you buy tickets at the counter, you can see the issuer using saliva.

A finger wet tool is a small stationery item. It is user-friendly, easy to clean, durable and costs you nothing. If you are humanitarian, do not wait for the authorities to provide it. Get one for yourself.

(The writer's email ID is srinivasan_vanaja@

yahoo.co.in)

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.