Indian society’s instinct to look down on manual labour comes from the profession-based inequality that lies at the heart of the caste system. Since this central idea grades people unequally based on their work, it rules out any respect for an industrious work ethic. Non-caste-based societies tend to assign equal respect for all work. Garbage collection, plumbing, carpentry, electrical work, building construction etc. are well paid and even sought after trades in Western economies.
