In search of work
P.Sainath writes about former beedi industry workers who now travel to villages in search of work.
This search takes them from moffusil towns — Tiroda is a tehsil headquarters — to toil as agricultural labour in the villages almost every day of their lives. Spending up to 20 hours away from home daily…The whole thing here.Many of the women live five or more kilometres from the railway station. “So we have to be up by 4 a.m.,” says Buribai. “We finish all our work and walk to the station by seven.” That’s when the train comes in and we clamber on with the group that will go to Salwa in rural Nagpur. The 76-km journey takes two hours. On the platform and in the train are more women, weary-eyed, hungry, half-asleep. Most sit on the floor of the crowded train, leaning against the carriage wall, trying to snatch some sleep before their station arrives.
“We will reach home at 11 p.m.,” says Revantabai. “We sleep by midnight. And start all over again at 4 a.m. the next morning. I have not seen my six-year-old awake in a long time.” Then she laughs: “Some of the much younger children may not recognise their mothers when they do see them.” Their children have either dropped out of school because they cannot afford it. Or perform poorly there. “There is no one at home to watch or help,” points out Buribai. And some of the youngsters are themselves doing any work they find.
I read almost every article P.Sai, write and I like you too because like P.Sai,you too draw attention towards those things which is almost ignorant among high-class society and technosavvy politicians..Keep it up.. Your writing is simple but touching…
Comment by ajay — January 24, 2007 @ 10:27 am
I read almost every article P.Sai, write and I like you too because like P.Sai,you too draw attention towards those things which is almost ignorant among high-class society and technosavvy politicians..Keep it up.. Your writing is simple but touching…
Comment by ajay — January 24, 2007 @ 10:29 am
I read almost every article P.Sai, write and I like you too because like P.Sai,you too draw attention towards those things which is almost ignorant among high-class society and technosavvy politicians..Keep it up.. Your writing is simple but touching…
Comment by ajay — January 24, 2007 @ 10:30 am
So, what do you think should be done for this?
Cheers,
HP
Comment by HP — January 24, 2007 @ 12:14 pm