(Top left) Pakistani children rescued after being kidnapped and smuggled to the UAE to be used as camel jockeys; (top right) a baby sick with malaria in Mozambique; (below left) a three-year-old suffering from malnutrition in Indonesia; (below right) a child in hospital in Baghdad. (Reuters & AFP)

What?s on your mind this week

Loveless labour

As one walks down Surya Sen Street, close to Calcutta University, an inconspicuous shop named Favorite Cabin would never catch anybody?s attention amidst the rush-hour traffic and an array of vegetable hawkers on the footpath because of its wornout look. Established in 1918, it is steeped in history, was once visited by famous personalities and great freedom fighters like Kazi Nazrul Islam, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore either for a cup of tea or just adda.

With some friends, I decided to explore the place with a steaming cup of tea. As I gazed at the peeled-paint on the walls, my concentration was broken by a loud thud. I turned to find a boy barely nine years old putting down cups and saucers, spilling tea on the table. Dressed in tattered clothes, his face smeared with dust and dirt, he looked tired. I asked him his name. Panchu Gopal Ranjan. A friend of mine asked him where he lived. Panchu said he and many of his friends have come from the Sunderbans, leaving behind their family and friends, to earn a living. I was dragged from the past to the present, reminded of a crippling problem of our times ? child labour.

Like Panchu, Debdoot and Shintu are also made to work illegally as menial workers. While talking to them they revealed stories of being beaten by their employer. They talked about running away. Recently, 465 child workers were rescued from Mumbai. But in many parts of India, the situation is grim, miserable and intangible. Calcutta alone has innumerable child workers trying to make a living. Generally, these children are not interested in going to school unless they are provided with a suitable source of income so that they can contribute to their families? expenditure.

While the law says that children below 14 can work only four hours a day, two in the morning and two in the evening, simultaneously the employer must also arrange to send them to school. Sadly, these rules are being flouted, taking advantage of the paltry penalty prescribed. Child labour does not get the requisite attention from law enforcement agencies in comparison to trafficking and drug pedalling. To curb this crime, it requires the involvement of NGOs and active participation of the people. Yet, these children continue to smile, even in times of distress.

Promita Majumdar,
IISWBM student & CRY volunteer

In India, there are about 120 million children below the age of 14. Of them, 17 million are engaged as field labourer, and in cottage and large-scale industries. It is ironical that the Constitution states that all children should be educated at least till they reach the age of 14. Child labour is a deep-rooted problem in the country. Abysmal poverty force Indian children to take up employment from a tender age. The employers, in turn, prefer child labourers as they are easily available and don?t cost much. In the absence of specific laws, these children are underpaid and made to do hazardous work. That, however, does not stop the rest of us from celebrating children?s day with great gusto every year!

Anjan Chatterjee,
Bhavans

A Chinese father and his child take part in a Like Father, Like Son and Daughter contest in Shenyang, northeast China’s Liaoning province, on June 19, as part of Father’s Day celebrations. (Reuters)

JU jangle

JU is famous in India for its punctilious students and research work. Several organisations have granted loans to the university for research and development, but the recent agitation by a handful of students has thrown a shadow over its reputation. Student politics is not new in Bengal. But in the present scenario, students think everything can be gained by slogans and agitations. What is happening at JU is unfortunate. This will only dismantle the careers of some students. The authorities will be the least affected by this situation. The worst victims of these kinds of movements will always be students. If the authorities have done something wrong, students have the right to raise their voices against it. But the Fetsu movement is different. They are in the limelight for ?heroic action? (examination boycott, hungerstrike). But who committed the first wrongful act? The five students who assaulted faculty members, and then went to student union dadas for help. If anyone assaulted faculty at the IITs or IIMs, the next day he or she would be expelled. Student life is meant to build careers, not engage in political scuffles.

Shubhajit Chakraborty,
Calcutta University

Father figure

Lean on me/We all need someone to lean on...

? Bill Withers

Who can be a better person to lean on and make you oblivious to the petty worries and anxieties than one?s father? The third Sunday of June is designated as Father?s Day. It is celebrated in the spirit of trust, respect and friendship, a day for children to acknowledge and appreciate the person we usually take for granted. With eateries and shopping malls offering surprise packages and great offers, and radio and TV channels featuring special programmes in honour of Father?s Day, kids, and of course their fathers, had a whale of a time for sure!

Godhuli Goswami,
1st year English (hons), Lady Brabourne College

Chit Chat

Tunes of Calcutta

He was all of 17 when Abhisek Das, now better known as DJ Abhishake, decided to pick up the tricks of the DJing trade from his elder brother who now lives and works in New York. Some tips from his sibling and some effort of his own led the young man to take up a career in DJing six years ago.

Playing at various clubs across the city and in fun stops like Clown Town, Aquatica and Fun City on big nights and small events, the baby-faced youngster has made a name for himself in the circuit. Rocking the crowd with remixes of advertisement jingles like Kya aap Close-Up karte hain and Oye bubbly and many more, he claims to have pioneered the concept of ad jingle remixing in the city.

Neither this claim nor his creativity behind the console are the only reasons that make Abhishake?s achievements as a DJ noteworthy ? it?s his efforts in educating music lovers that?s innovative. The 23-year-old has started a course in which he teaches enthusiasts an easy way to make electronic music by using some simple computer software.

?I also have a free-to-access tutorial on DJing available on my website, www.djabhi.com. The courses are for those who want to make their own music and not simply spin some hackneyed numbers,? he says.

?It?s not a complicated affair at all, and anyone who is computer friendly can learn the tricks in about a month and enjoy making his own music just as I do,? he adds. In fact, in the absence of backing from big banners, DJ Abhishake creates his music through these software and uploads it on his site for people across the globe to sample and download it.

?I get responses from people sitting in London, and it makes me happy to think that my music is being appreciated,? he signs off.

 

Search for the songs

The songs had only flown,
The heavens were not touched
By their melodies.

Maybe because they lacked desire
To break free,
And discard those hollow rhythms
That beat tunelessly.

Some had just conquered the clouds,
Others had failed even that ?
Soaked in doubts.
Waves of time had finally
Swept them away.

Our Earth is very jealous,
All the true songs
She has hidden in her soil,
And her lungs.
For the lonely poet who longs.

Tathagata Dey,
Nava Nalanda High School