From Rag Picking Scamp to Virtuous Reformer

Human trafficking and child rights violations are global monstrous disquiets. Encountered in every nook and corner of the world today the uncountable cases require immediate attention and action. South Asian countries—Nepal; India; Sri Lanka; Pakistan; Bangladesh; Afghanistan and Maldives witness alarming human trafficking cases. Somberness of child labor, child trafficking and street children losing their childhoods on the roads is gigantic matters which international communities must denounce.

Many children from such countries lose innocence and self-esteem once forced to spend their childhoods on streets. Whilst felling prey to the worst phases of life at the time they need parental affection they get aimless future. Few of them could obtain motivation from government or non-governmental organizations. People like Nobel Laureate cum founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan & Chairperson of Global March Against Child Labour, Kailash Satyarthi do exhaustive efforts to improve the lives of street children—rag pickers—to save them from such anarchies that damage the human societies. Dilapidations of children as little as four year olds disparaging to survive aimlessly on the streets make mockery of human civilization.

The book, From the Streets of Kathmandu is an unusual autobiography. It can be judged in multiple contexts of deep rooted plague in human societies. Orphans or children forced to survive like orphans with decrepit life on the streets of South Asian countries as rag pickers remain condescending. He pens the book to narrate story of millions of humiliated children from these societies. As story of mankind and painful narration of agonies through recollecting a ‘less fortunate childhood oubliette’ the autobiographer is not a “personality unlike the authorities on art curate; literature genii; film stars; business tycoons or genius whom world denote as the persona extraordinaire with fan following or whose lives are of ‘book interests.’

This firsthand melancholic narration of a street child in Nepal capital Kathmandu tells how he was forced in shuddering condition that compelled an innocent child to take shelter on streets for survival at a tender age of four. This book often digresses to ‘flimsy plausible thought pitches’ but what one could expect from a street child turned author. Our blameworthy society forces many children to become rag pickers and when one amongst them come forward to narrate painful stories even few exaggerations should be ignored.

“My beginning was much like yours of born in a hospital, brought home wrapped in pink towel. My father was in seventh heaven of joy but there was a difference. My mother was in despair. She had carried me for nine months, watching her petite self-grow ungainly and ‘ugly’ in her eyes. Now, after my birth, she quelled at a thought of breastfeeding baby, her beautiful breasts would go flabby. She was born to be a star and had dreams in her eyes but marriage and baby care had snatched that dream from life.”

Narration of street children plights augurs human societies to assess lives of these less fortunate kids. He underwent such phases, bore pain and voices through this book thereafter about millions of children lingering on streets to survive like him. He speaks for self and for rest street children whose quandaries couldn’t be weighed so honestly by others except a nameless child. “My Pop (father) called me ‘Son.’ From his stories, I knew that he was Rai and that my mother was Basu. So I told my big buddy, my name is Basu Rai. I was too small to pick pockets or rob or even pick rags, so they gave me very simple job of begging.”

Narrating harsh realities of Kathmandu streets, he confesses how circumstances turned him a professional beggar and he started picking pockets to survive thereafter. “Pick pocketing was an easy way to make money when survival options were bleak. Story moves on with painful assertions—“he heard parents were like ‘God’ because they give life or birth. He was aware that he had parents like other children and his father had roots from India while mother was from Bangladesh. His parents met in Kathmandu, fell in love, married and he was born to leave him to become a street child—a forced orphan.”

An overambitious mother forced him to stand alone in Kathmandu streets to become an orphan? In his early thirties now, Basu spent horrendous childhood—as rag picker, pick pocket, beggar and thief snatching money from unsuspecting people to working as domestic help and child laborer for survival. He had hazy memories from growing days about loving father who died premature and his sense of guilt is summed in the book. He was compelled to live and die on the streets but destiny had something else for an ambitious lad to lead sustainable life today which rag pickers couldn’t even think in dreams. Parentless child begging & pickpocketing for survival to exploring world as a motivator he got everything beyond imagination.

A turning point came in the life of this street child once frustrated rag picking and working as domestic help proved horrifying. He lived on the streets for survival but he was not bad by birth. His existence was unwanted because society created scenario for a child that never knew life’s intricacies. Abandoned on the streets on an empty stomach needed to be filled somehow like millions of such children forced to keep the goodness aside to involve in sinister acts because life turn worse for them while it floats in a sea of hopelessness, loveless and restless. Countless struggles and troubles keep them alive.

Large chunk of children face such ghastly scenes to be able to win a loaf of bread day after day. This autobiography raises finger on the society why does it denote that—“children are forms of God but he too was a six-seven-year old child and innocent so by no means he was also a form of God if same logic was applied.” He asks such questions through this book from orphanage plights to general perceptions about them and exploitations. As narrated by a sufferer it is considered authentic recount of heart rendering cases.

Through this book Basu brings before us his reality of life. A child welfare NGO in Kathmandu brought ray of hope in him. So did Nobel Laureate, Kailash Satyarthi encourage him to lead respectable life that he is able to live today. The book has detailed mention of global movement by Satyarthi to create awareness for child rights through speaking for the less fortunate children during Global March Against Child Labour—“Millions of tender children have fallen prey to child labor. They are made to work day and night. They do not get to meet their parents. They get very little to eat. Sometimes they go to bed hungry. They do not get money for work they do. These children are not allowed to play and enjoy. They cannot attend school like other children. They are often beaten up by their masters for small mistakes.”

Impact of Global March Against Child Labour brought enthusiasm in the lives of street children from far off Philippines to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy and Switzerland et al for awareness. Street children were encouraged to lead respectable lives in human societies because they were also humans.

Historic day came in Basu’s life on 2nd June 1998 when he was part of children group approaching ILO and shouting slogans in enthusiasm for rights they deserved. Kailash Satyarthi addressed the world leaders—“Today real heroes are present here who have reached here covering a distance that is double the periphery of earth. Global March is a real transformation of moral power of most innocent victims into a worldwide movement that cannot be stopped now. If you cannot hear the loud slogans echoing between the earth and sky, history will never forget and forgive you. Today is a day to pledge and now is a moment to act.”

Basu and other children representing 130 countries made it to ILO after travelling more than 80,000 kilometers across these countries to mobilize 50 million people against a crime and social evil called child labor. This book is a firsthand reportage of Global March that received an overwhelming support from the common masses to distinguished personalities including former president of United States of America Bill Clinton, former Prime Minister of United Kingdom Tony Blair, former French President Jacques Rene Chirac, King of Belgium, Pope John Paul from Vatican City and others.

This book is an unusual life sketch of a survivor who couldn’t see light of the day in the absence of hope, aspiration and right direction from torchbearers. Being orphan, fighter & gang member, survivor, beggar, thief, rag picker, pick-pocket, domestic servant, campaigner marching in step with presidents and ministers of many countries, part of ILO convention 182 and 138, he led life like a son of richest man, five star life and as pauper that makes his life myriad but worth studying for future generations.

Bad editing and repetitions due to being written by an ordinary individual penning his story without attaining formal education still makes this book laudable. There was ample scope for editing in this book to make it more readable.

Questioning the society to introspect why so many children are forced to beg, pick rags or live on the streets globally makes it worth. This autobiography of an ordinary street child should be shared with the world for social transformations. Foreword by Kailash Satyarthi, the book is a step by step recount of a sufferer guiding so called civilized societies to leave prejudices aside to show new light to humanity.

The reviewer is assistant professor and media relations specialist at the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education. He worked earlier as an executive producer in ETV Networks; editorial coordinator at Management Development Institute and media specialist at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Asif Anwar Alig