What Shall I do, I don’t know. I don’t know how to deal with this situation just like the myriad other problems of which I have no clue. I don’t know how can I help the humanity in this matter. However, I want to and, I believe, there is no other way apart from writing through which I can explain the condition of some innocent teenagers who get stuck in the labour market for very little money.
Just because there are many big MNCs have put their feet in Noida, the job opportunity for every kind of people. While the jobs have increased, so has the demand for housing and better living conditions. In accordance to which, there are numerous PGs which are constructed to cater to the Housing needs of the people working in the companies.
People from many parts of the country work here. People from small cities come here thinking that they can fulfil their dreams; that they can make their dream come true; that can become something in their life; that they can be the next big thing in this world; that they can see the city life and enjoy their new and improved life. However, this thinking of these poor and innocent people lets the builders fulfill their wicked dreams of earning more by paying less to these labours.
People are tempted to come here just like the fishes are hunted. First, their agents tell them fake stories in their villages. They tell these innocent, unemployed and uneducated teenagers that a wonderful opportunity is awaiting them. That a chance to live in a city that too with full freedom and money within their grasp is what is they can have in their new life. They make all the false and fake promises whatever they can think of to bring these children to the city.
No sooner do these innocent teenagers come here than the tragedies in their life begin to arise. These teenagers who leave their houses, fight with their parents to work in a world-class city find it very difficult to adjust in the city life without having money and most importantly the freedom to experience the city life which they were once promised.
There is one incident which inspired me to write this story. As one day, Mahesh, a matrix pass teenager who used to clean 5 floors out of the 10-storey building where I am staying, said to me that “my philosophy in life is that while doing something I either win or learn, I never fail.” He was desperately making plans to run away from his current job because he barely had freedom. The will power and determination of this teenager, who apart from cleaning the floors for which they were hired, did all the work that a servant does from being a gardener to the security guard to everything they can become that too for mere ₹5000/month.
The situation, meanwhile, becomes worse if they tell their boss that they want to leave the job, as they are scolded and intimidated so that they don’t even have the thoughts of leaving. They are given salaries 10-15 days after their month completes so that they don’t run away immediately after getting the salary.
One day, Mahesh said that I would run away in the night at around 2 AM when everybody is sleeping and nobody is patrolling the CCTV cameras. “I have called my friend, who will give me ₹1000, which I have earlier lent him and then we will both run away. I am 10th Pass and I deserve better, I don’t want to do sweeping in my life.”
He was from Bihar and ran away from his house just because his family was in a financial dilemma. “I will leave on 15th August, the day India got freedom, I will get mine too,” he told me on 14th of august.
But unfortunately, his boss somehow managed to entice him again by giving him some money and told him that till Diwali he receive all his dues and that he can easily leave then (just another way to let these teenagers not to run away). As he was cleaning the tiles of the floor on 15th August he said that this is how he is celebrating India’s 71st Independence Day.
Well as an old proverb goes that ‘where there is will, there is a way’. On the 16th August, I was surprised when Mahesh didn’t come to clean my room, but a new teenager with the similar background came. I felt Happy for Mahesh that he is finally out of this hell, but I felt sorry for the new kid who will now have to serve for the demon. The new kid said that Mahesh has left after his father came to pick him up in the morning and, from now on, he will clean the rooms.
I don’t know how many teenagers have the strength and fortune like Mahesh, but I know one thing that a lot of children are stuck like him who, unfortunately, will never have the courage to quit and will one day be satisfied with the life they are living. I don’t know why but I believe that because he was little educated, he can think of something else in life but others, who have very little to no education, get stuck.
The country is changing, but I don’t know when the thinking will change. I don’t know how much time will it take, but I want to raise my voice. And I hope that one day these children can study and somebody shows me the way to help these children. As apart from motivating these children to leave this place and find a better place, where they can study and grow, I had nothing to say.
The job opportunity for every kind of labour is increasing. However, their salaries aren’t. Neither is the behaviour of the landowners and builders towards these labours and servants. Who consider them no less than a street dog and want sycophants around them.
Why This? Why That? 
One child one educator, can bring millions out of poverty.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But it’s vertually impossible, isn’t it?
Until or unless we human beings take the responsibility – without thinking that we will get something in return – can only help I believe.. what do you say?
LikeLike