“There go I but for the grace of God”
This expression goes back to the Bible (Corinthians 15:8-10).
Since then the expression or its idea has recurred in history in many contexts like when a batch of prisoners condemned to death was led to the gallows except one who was supposed to have uttered the phrase in relief.
But, the context in which we are using the sentence here goes back to the Great Depression of the 1930s marked by widespread unemployment. In London, groups of such unemployed went to public maidans and moved in circles shouting “Give us jobs”. Two persons, having comfortable jobs, were watching the scene. As they left, one of them said: “There go I but for the grace of God”.
Today’s unemployed in their millions in India do not have the mood, energy, or means to organise or take part in such sloganeering demonstrations. Their frustration is reflected in the way they apply for jobs, any jobs, as in the following report by PTI and widely carried in media, including The New Indian Express (25/7/21) and excerpted below.
100 Engineers, 500 Postgraduates Among 8,000 Applicants For 6 Lab Assistant Posts at Kolkata Hospital Morgue
In what appears to be a shocking revelation of the state of unemployment in the country, engineers, graduates, and postgraduates are among 8,000 applicants for six posts of laboratory assistants, also called ‘dom’ in the morgue parlance, at a state-run hospital in Kolkata. The lab assistants are required to handle corpses, an official at the medical establishment said.
Around 100 engineers, 500 postgraduates and 2,200 graduates have applied for six ‘dom’ posts. As per the notification for the post issued in December 2020, applicants must be at least class 8 pass and aged between 18-40 years. The monthly pay for the post is Rs 15,000. Several applicants are overqualified for the job. Engineers, postgraduates and graduates have applied for this post.
