I would like to share a kind of experience that I got just today….that is 29th of June 2007.
Hiding myself in the clumsy corner of an 2-Tier Air Conditioned compartment in one of the long route trains that runs on the usual tracks everyday from Bhubeneswar (your very favorite destination) to the country’s one of the busiest, richest and fast IT hub our very darling the city of ‘joy and gardens’ Bangalore.
On usual days when every thing is on track without any derailment one never tends to notice what that is going in and around…
But the realization of facts is tossed the other way round when everything or something or even a little thing is out of the “expected” order…
Yes that is exactly the way you feel when your train runs 12 hours late…It keeps stopping at frequent repeated intervals, all trying to get is a clearance of the route…why??? Because few miles ahead of the place where the train has anchored, just yesterday a goods train carrying bags of cement has been derailed and it has hit a passengers’ train….
The fresh site of the accident was devastating.
The site of 16 boogies all bottom up thrown here and there was stunning…more over it was more pathetic situation to move on a newly laid track where the train really took a few degree’s slant…
At a certain time you question yourself “What would have happened if I were there in the train which toppled down????”
“Had I been the bags of cement I would have been plastered to the hell..!” The slightest thought of this brings terror setting forth the frequency of brain waves to a shudder…..
But I would say there was something happening in and around the place (in the train) which surpassed all of these awful sights.
A lot of time I noticed a timid creature (I mean so very small from all aspects-height, wit, health and almost everything) running here and there from one boogie to the other cleaning the dirty floors, picking up the plates and almost every thing possible on earth there on the train.
The creature as I estimated was 3 feet-a little more or less than that high from the ground but what was he wearing??? A long bulky Shirt that usually comes fit on a well grown person serving the Indian Railways to be very specific a guy working in the PANTRY…
A very casual look on the shirt would show you the torn right hand of it….!!
I was very interested to speak to that chap… couldn’t control my eagerness and anxiety I asked for the guy with the given specification to another Pantry fellow who came off with mineral water.
“Arrey Bhaiya wo jo Bacha aapke pantry me kaam kar raha hai usko ek baar bula doge humko usse baat karma hai’ was what I asked him in Hindi.
I had never expected then that my dream boy would really turn up…
My conversation with Vamshi and jyotsna the newly married was taking various dimensions where in this creature dropped in asking Madamji “Aapne bulaya tha?”
“You had called me?”
He was a pale body –a nearer look especially into the eyes of the cold piece revealed his pain where in my pain sheltered at the horrendous view…more terrible than the accident site…
My conversation with him…
What is your name?
Ji madam ji mera naam hai KRISHNA MOHAN TIWARI…(his name)
Where are you from?
Muzzafarpur (Bihar)
What are you doing in the train that too you are wearing the pantry uniform-are you working in the PANTRY?
To this volley of questions the creature replied…
I left my home town in Bihar 3 days back…
My brother works in the Pantry, he asked me to board a train and search for work in pantry..
I have an elder sister at home.
My dad had Tubercolosis(deadly disease of the lungs) and is no more..
My mother is also dead and the handful of relatives-my chacha and tau(brothers’ of my father) don’t take care of us.
I am going now to Yesvantpur, from there I will take a train and request them to give me some job in the Pantry…
I just help these people in cleaning plates etc.
The manager said you are too young to work in the Pantry…
At least you should cross 18 years of age to get a legal job here in the.
Right now what I get in return of the work I do is food to eat and a little place for shelter.
Amazing!!!
I was shocked….
My next question…the major one… yup the most exciting and nerve cracking of all…
WHAT IS YOUR AGE???
I AM 14 (FOURTEEN) , he said that though he looked much much much more young.
What kind of a child labor was it???? My mental faculty couldn’t decide.
Government has banned child labor especially in governmental organizations but here in one of the express trains of the East Coast railway I really questioned myself and every one in this “Living Society”-
What should be the expected condition when the policy makers defy their own policies tooth and nail???
Whom to blame???
Or better asked…What to be blamed??
Hiding myself in the clumsy corner of an 2-Tier Air Conditioned compartment in one of the long route trains that runs on the usual tracks everyday from Bhubeneswar (your very favorite destination) to the country’s one of the busiest, richest and fast IT hub our very darling the city of ‘joy and gardens’ Bangalore.
On usual days when every thing is on track without any derailment one never tends to notice what that is going in and around…
But the realization of facts is tossed the other way round when everything or something or even a little thing is out of the “expected” order…
Yes that is exactly the way you feel when your train runs 12 hours late…It keeps stopping at frequent repeated intervals, all trying to get is a clearance of the route…why??? Because few miles ahead of the place where the train has anchored, just yesterday a goods train carrying bags of cement has been derailed and it has hit a passengers’ train….
The fresh site of the accident was devastating.
The site of 16 boogies all bottom up thrown here and there was stunning…more over it was more pathetic situation to move on a newly laid track where the train really took a few degree’s slant…
At a certain time you question yourself “What would have happened if I were there in the train which toppled down????”
“Had I been the bags of cement I would have been plastered to the hell..!” The slightest thought of this brings terror setting forth the frequency of brain waves to a shudder…..
But I would say there was something happening in and around the place (in the train) which surpassed all of these awful sights.
A lot of time I noticed a timid creature (I mean so very small from all aspects-height, wit, health and almost everything) running here and there from one boogie to the other cleaning the dirty floors, picking up the plates and almost every thing possible on earth there on the train.
The creature as I estimated was 3 feet-a little more or less than that high from the ground but what was he wearing??? A long bulky Shirt that usually comes fit on a well grown person serving the Indian Railways to be very specific a guy working in the PANTRY…
A very casual look on the shirt would show you the torn right hand of it….!!
I was very interested to speak to that chap… couldn’t control my eagerness and anxiety I asked for the guy with the given specification to another Pantry fellow who came off with mineral water.
“Arrey Bhaiya wo jo Bacha aapke pantry me kaam kar raha hai usko ek baar bula doge humko usse baat karma hai’ was what I asked him in Hindi.
I had never expected then that my dream boy would really turn up…
My conversation with Vamshi and jyotsna the newly married was taking various dimensions where in this creature dropped in asking Madamji “Aapne bulaya tha?”
“You had called me?”
He was a pale body –a nearer look especially into the eyes of the cold piece revealed his pain where in my pain sheltered at the horrendous view…more terrible than the accident site…
My conversation with him…
What is your name?
Ji madam ji mera naam hai KRISHNA MOHAN TIWARI…(his name)
Where are you from?
Muzzafarpur (Bihar)
What are you doing in the train that too you are wearing the pantry uniform-are you working in the PANTRY?
To this volley of questions the creature replied…
I left my home town in Bihar 3 days back…
My brother works in the Pantry, he asked me to board a train and search for work in pantry..
I have an elder sister at home.
My dad had Tubercolosis(deadly disease of the lungs) and is no more..
My mother is also dead and the handful of relatives-my chacha and tau(brothers’ of my father) don’t take care of us.
I am going now to Yesvantpur, from there I will take a train and request them to give me some job in the Pantry…
I just help these people in cleaning plates etc.
The manager said you are too young to work in the Pantry…
At least you should cross 18 years of age to get a legal job here in the.
Right now what I get in return of the work I do is food to eat and a little place for shelter.
Amazing!!!
I was shocked….
My next question…the major one… yup the most exciting and nerve cracking of all…
WHAT IS YOUR AGE???
I AM 14 (FOURTEEN) , he said that though he looked much much much more young.
What kind of a child labor was it???? My mental faculty couldn’t decide.
Government has banned child labor especially in governmental organizations but here in one of the express trains of the East Coast railway I really questioned myself and every one in this “Living Society”-
What should be the expected condition when the policy makers defy their own policies tooth and nail???
Whom to blame???
Or better asked…What to be blamed??
2 comments:
Banning child labour is not sole solution for stoppin children from being exploited . Many policies hv to be made which takes care of welfare of such children by findin out the root cause for them to take up work at such small age .
Its not just policies that can change the present situation . It has to come come from each one s heart to help orphans and the needy .
yup xactly dats wat i wanna focus on...i mean who is responsible???
we all..every1 in da 2nd tier ac compartment got der work done from dis kid...knowingly unknowningly...ever1 is da policy breaker...hope this article of mine is a little effort to project da cause...da incident is but very close 2 ma heart!!!
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