Paradise Lost: As country celebrates nov 14, child labourers go about business as usual
Even as most children across the country ready for yet another edition of Children's Day and celebrate it with fanfare, a considerable number of them will, however, go about it the usual way — trying to earn a living for themselves and their families.
Little surprise then, that when DNA went around the city talking to some of these 'working' minors, none of them even knew what Children's Day was.
Consider Sk Shahrukh, a 16-year-old who lives in Auddy Bagan area of Central Kolkata and works as a junior helper in a catering company. As a youngster, he is being taught the tricks of the trade — collecting guests' dirty plates and taking them for washing. For every party he works, he gets a paltry Rs 150. When asked if he knew what day will be celebrated as Children's Day, he innocently asked back, "Kahan pe", (at which place).
Similar was Munna, a 13-year-old expert tea-maker on Ballygunge Circular Road. He may be letterless, but his skills at manoeuvring the big aluminum jug of boiling tea are unmatched. After initially refusing to talk because of his employer, he relented and said he was learning the ropes and that he had been rechristened Munna because the shop was in a non-Muslim locality. Asked if he had any idea about Children's Day, he said, "Itna padha likha nahi hai, sahib," ( I am not that educated, sir).
In another part of the city, 16-year-old Ujjal Mondal works as a helper at a paint store in south Kolkata. Earning Rs 4000 per month, he manages to support his family back home comprising his parents and two younger brothers. Asked what November 14 was celebrated as, he replied, matter-of-factly, "Chhat Puja."
Working at a tailoring shop, 14-year-old Firdaus Alam has learnt counting from the measuring tape. He kept mum when asked about Children's Day, but it's his employer — his brother-in-law — who really said, "Wo sab ise kaise pata hoga? Yeh sab to amiro ke bachho ke liye hai." (how will he know? Those are for the kids of the rich.)
Bring this to the notice of the state women and child development minister Shashi Panja, and she simply said that the government was trying to end the menace of child labour. "We have talked to officials of the labour
department and requested them to impose heavy fine on employers of child labourers. Counselling parents is also necessary to convince them that sending kids to school rather than engage them with odd jobs. The number has come down significantly, but a lot still needs to be done," she said.
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