‘Do you run an orphanage?’, Sanket asked me. He works for an IT company and had driven down from Pune, along with his friends to Goa for a short break last week. We, as usual were on our routine excursions and explorations at a vantage point overlooking the Zuari river. And yes, like everyday, my jeep was packed with a mixed group of children from the neighbourhood. While I was explaining to the children about the riverine ecosystem and the impact the port expansion, marina jetty and the coal handling in Goa would cause, Sanket along with his friends joined us. He too was sad about what was happening to Goa’s environment and was keen to help.
Investing in children, nurturing and mentoring each child has been a passion and mission for more than a decade now. Whether at home in St Inez or at the Nagalli workspace/learning center cum foster home of sorts, lots and lots of children/students and friends have always felt welcome to walk in and join the ‘camp’. Jai and Kush are in the local primary school but now because of the pandemic have no access to a phone and therefore often come over for ‘tuition class’. Lokesh is in his crucial year, 12th standard, but has no interest in the course. Instead he loves photography and is keen to learn diving. We want to support him. Every outdoor class he has attended, he has taken some amazing shots of the experience and the younger kids are now experimenting with the ideas he has imparted! Isn’t that amazing?
Sayuli is in the 12th too and is an excellent learner. She is the only one in her family who has got this far. She wants to be independent and be on her own. Her friend Sweety is in the 9th std and she loves rescuing pups from the neighbourhood. She is currently taking classes for conversational English and we have a fun time learning the subject in the outdoor sessions. The younger kids too join her and are excellent in picking up the foreign language. Mohin and Sudeep are in the 10th and are driven to complete this important milestone so that they can get a good job soon. There are many others. Besides the tasks of learning there are many other life skills that are imparted and shared when we are all together. We plan cookouts where each child teaches others about the wealth of his/her culinary tradition. Many times some of the children have felt so comforted and safe, that they have stayed back for sleepovers or camping outdoors. ‘My parents are at work, they’ll be back late, can I stay? My brother is a bully. As the only son, he is pampered by my parents. He is nasty, disrespectful and very violent. I don’t feel safe. Can I stay? Can I bring my friend and her mother too? They are often harassed and threatened by her father. They feel violated. Is it movie night today? Is it cookout day? Is there a night trail today? Are we going to see Narkasurs?’
Last week, as we were making our trips to see Narkasurs, some of the kids began boasting that they make the largest Narkasur in their ward. And some blurted out that their local ‘Narkasura daddy’ had given them a lakh of rupees for the same! For the large sized ones! And for the smaller ones, the ‘gift’ was around twenty thousand. Nobody asks. Daddy simply drives by and hands over the hard cash. Like a bag of toys and goodies. Like dangling a carrot. Now this is not new information. Everybody knows. So we did an exercise. We made an assessment of the number of Narakasuras in the city and villages. So basically more than a crore of rupees was annually spent by local daddyies! How is this accounted for? The wire frame is reused annually-so no cost there, most of the material used over the frame of the effigy is found or waste material like dry cement bags/sacks, newspaper, cloth, etc. A small amount is spent on white paper, paint and thermacol or synthetic material to make accessories. Then of course there is biryani and soft drinks everyday during the run up to Diwali eve when the Narkasura effigy is burnt as a symbolic act of victory of good over evil. Why are Narkasura daddies giving these gifts instead of fulfilling their responsibilities for the welfare, well being and safety of their children, community and the people they represent? Why are they buying or bribing these children instead? Aren’t the children’s rights being violated? Rights to equal opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner, of safety from violation and exploitation, protection from abuse, rights to freedom and dignity.
And mind you, local daddyies have rights for sure but above these come responsibilities.
What can one do with daddys money? What can daddy himself do with such money? For one, spend it on building good housing and sanitation for the health and wellbeing of his children. Second, this can be spent on education, skill building and also job placements for the youth/students. Third, this can be spent in food security by strengthening community agriculture/farming and therefore saving fields from indiscriminate development and filling up. Fourth, spend on healthcare. Fifth, strengthen recreational and sporting facilities.
And thus, it does not make sense at all to blow daddy’s money all up in smoke, right? Time to change this and let children assert their rights.
(Tallulah D’Silva is an
architect.)
