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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012
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Adult literacy essential to eliminate child labour CRIME
A child’s lament
Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com
L COMPUTERS
EC issues notice to MP
T
he Election Commission has issued notices to MP Balaram Naik and Station Ghanapur candidates Rajaiah and Rajarapu Pratap for campaigning inside a place of worship with the scarves of political parties. The EC also directed authorities to register a case against the manager of the house of worship.
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ooking at Pavan, the 11-year-old boy who works at a chai bandi in Punjagutta, reminds you of the character Stanley from the movie Stanley Ka Dabba. His lost childhood is akin to Stanley from the movie, who goes to school in the morning and works as a waiter in a restaurant by night. But unlike Stanley, Pavan does not go to school, he just can’t afford to. This is the touching story of just one of the many child-labourers in the City. As soon as you come to the chai bandi near Model House in Punjagutta, Pavan asks you if you want tea or coffee. You can’t help but be drawn by his innocent smile. “My mother is a maid and my father a daily-wage labourer. I have got used to this life,” he says when asked why he was not in school. His day begins at 7 am washing tea cups and vessels and setting up the bandi. “I live in Alwal and take a bus half way to come here. And the other half, if I am lucky, I get a free ride, if not, I walking for eight kilometres. My day ends at 9pm,” says Pavan. Unarguably, 13 hours a day and six days a week can take a toll on anyone, Pavan is no exception. The malnourished boy says that he has never been to school, but he wants to make sure that at least his brother, 6, can do so. “My parents could not send me and my two siblings to school as they could not afford it, but I want my younger brother to study till at least class VII,” says Pavan. Pavan is far from happy with the fact that none of his family members has had the privilege of going to school. What most middle class families spend on a meal is
what he earns in a month. Pavan’s touching story brings to fore the atrocities against child labourers. More often than not these children are forced into jobs due to their circumstances. Despite laws against the practice, children continue to be hired across the City. Curbing child labour is no easy feat, says Anjum Baig, a social worker, “It needs to be curbed at the grass root level. Booking cases against employers is not the right thing to do. We should first counsel parents. It’s time we realised that even children have rights.”
What the data says According to a 2008 survey of 44,700 households spread over 1000 slums in Hyderabad, it emerged that illiteracy
THE FACES OF HYDERABAD Sandra Moss, Receptionist, Tatva Legal
H
er pleasant smile greets us when we enter the office and the smile does not leave her face the entire time. Sandra Moss has 22 years of experience in the front office department. Earlier she used to work for a leading network provider dealer, but eight years back she joined Tatva Legal. With her cheerful personality and patient nature she has the ideal disposition to work in a front office. Every day from 9am to 6pm she greets clients who visit the office, mans the office phone and monitors the front office administra-
Aishwarya Yerra A city is defined by the people who live and work in it. Here we take a look at the human threads that make up our urban tapestry
tion. She says that she loves her job because the timings suit her and she likes to interact with new people. It’s not an easy job though. There are times she has to deal with cranky clients, who can at times go to the extent of being impolite. For Sandra, her 22 years of experience have taught her how to handle cranky clients and deal with adversities. But does she plan to continue as a receptionist? Sandra says that her plan is to shift to the administrative department soon and eventually she plans to go abroad.
Papa ,papa I want to go to school, Papa said Shut up your mouth you little fool, Now go to work with your lunch and tool, Before the sun melts the dawns cool. So I start my lonely walk, Keeping my thoughts private with no one to talk I can hear the song of the skylark, As I gaze longingly at the childrens Park. After my long stroll, I reach the mine, Where I have to work till nine, I pretend everything is fine, And start to work, Otherwise I wont have anything to dine. My heart is broken, because my friend Ted is dead, Some say it was because he inhaled poisonous lead Whatever it is, his face was red, And he fell sick and died in bed. This job in mine is worst I hate, My mother says Dear Tom, this is our fate My Father says go to work, if you want a full plate. I’m sure Ill fall sick and die, if I work at this rate. My greatest dream is to learn, And to get a job by it and earn, when I see other school going boys,My heart burns, With desire to study, my heart can only yearn... – Anonymous breeds illiteracy. Nearly 40 per cent of the parents who did not educate their kids were illiterate themselves, thus emphasising the need for adult literacy as well. N SHIVA KUMAR