It is a sad commentary on our independence that even after 60 years we see children begging in streets, picking polythene bags out of rubbish dumps, washing dishes in hotels and dhabas, working as bonded labourers in brick kilns and factories. There are more than 80,000,000 of them, imagine? What a shame!
The callousness of the people, society, administration and the government is shocking. The laws are being made to give the children their childhood back but it seldom translates in reality. Sometimes some bonded children are rescued to land them only in a bigger soup.
The early morning reveals the tragic face of India. In the semi dark hours of the morning in cities and towns, millions to children are out like little ghosts. They are in tattered clothes, black with slime and grease. They have haggard faces with eyes sunk in deep black holes. These unfortunate kids are rag pickers. Their mission is to reach the rubbish dumps and pick out polythene bags, empty them of the contents and put them in the large bags they drag along.
This exercise is for making a living. A bagful might earn them 15-20 rupees. The recycling industry buys it through its outposts that buys the collection of rag pickers. After selling the collection the rag pickers feed them-selves saving some of
the earnings for night meals. Then, the kids take rest and prepare for the afternoon rounds or evening forays.
They don’t have any proper living quarters. In some abandoned house or a quarter or a corner the boys spend time huddled together. Some higher age group boys indulge in card playing. There is no education and planning for future. For them future means the very next morning and the same foraging through garbage dumps. Life is a misery. Only good point about rag pickers is that they are not bonded labour. It is their own life and own work. No one orders them.
At micro level rag pickers are free entrepreneurs, masters of their own destiny. This spirit of self dependence may make some of them rise in life if things work their way. Another positive is that they are important link in the chain of recycling process of plastic waste and help keep the environment clean.
But these facts should not justify their presence in our society. At this tender age these rag picker kids should have parents, home, childhood and education. Why are they living a life of such misery and indignity? Why such gross violation of children’s right to childhood and human right are taking place? Who are these children and where from they come?
Surely, the governments alone are not responsible for this. In some way the society is to blame that is made up of people who don’t understand their responsibility towards their children, children in general and human rights.
There are parents who breed offspring and leave them to their fate. They are oblivious of their own parental duty and are even bereft of natural sentiments a creature has towards its offspring. It is shocking to see such callousness from human beings. On this score they are even lowlier than beasts. Even our domestic animals like cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, horses and poultry birds look after their young ones, protect them and feed them until they are able to take care of the themselves. But these rag pickers are a living proof that some humans are worse than beasts.
In this regard public awareness needs to be aroused. The education must inculcate human values. NGOs can do a lot to improve the lives of rag pickers by setting up homes for them and arranging for their education. The governments should do their bit by cooperating with such NGOs as engage themselves to the upliftment of rag picking kids. The people must donate funds generously considering it their social duty.
