Last weekend Dushyant, Shanthi & I had the privilege to be with children of Chiguru Balavikasa Samsthe at Magadi, thanks to my sister-in-law Lakshmi. The story of Chiguru,which is a home for rescued female children, its founder Saroja, and of the 35 rescued girl children who are housed there, is very inspiring.
Dushyant's recent class on Ancient History of China and Egypt to the children of Santosh Charity in Sarjapura enthused him to take the same class to the Chiguru kids of Magadi. So, we four jumped into a car Sun 9am for a nice, cool, 75kms drive to Magadi; Sarojamma joined us midway and took us to the facility.
Chiguru Balavikasa Samsthe is housed in a very small, unimposing two-storeyed structure off the main road. A couple of very pleasant senior girls welcomed us with tea, coffee and tender coconut water, and then took us to the 1st floor which houses a small conference room, a tiny yet cool library, and a computer room. A projector had been set up and 35 girls and a few boys were obediently sitting on the floor waiting for the session to begin. The next ninety minutes were spent by Dushyant and the kids in a lively, interactive session with slides, artefacts, fun activities, and quiz. If language was a barrier, it was not evident; Lakshmi was on hand acting as a translator, and she had Hasina, the acknowledged "leader" for help.
At the end of the session, we drove a kilometer to the rather spartan hostel for lunch. Lunch itself was preceded by a lively dance show, choreographed by the girls themselves. As we all sat on the floor for lunch, every girl clamored to sit next to their beloved (Saroja)amma. A brief prayer later, the older girls served us all. As we were leaving, a young girl walked up to us with a bowl of candies. It was her birthday! As we drove back to Bangalore, each of us felt that we had had a phenomenally rich and moving experience. It turned out to be one of the best ways to start a New Year.
What moved us was the story of Saroja as much as those of the kids she rescued. Saroja is an accidental activist. She and her husband moved from Shimoga to Bangalore, when the latter decided to quit his job in a steel company to become a journalist. She quit her teaching job to work with an NGO (non-profit to some of you) to do a study of child labor practices in the thriving silk industry of Magadi. Soon, she had dedicated her life to rescuing small girls from the clutches of powerful, rich, and unscrupulous silk manufacturers who used children as slave labor. She took on local and state governments, business lobbies, and the courts to eradicate child labor from Magadi, and eventually from the state. A decade later, High Courts and Supreme Courts finally passed judgement against child labor, with no caveats. A battle was won, but the war was on.
Somewhere in the midst of this, her journalist husband exposed a powerful man with deep political roots, of his nefarious activities. He paid the ultimate price for his work - he was brutally murdered; to this day, his murderers walk around scot free, thanks to their political connections. This horrific event made her pause, but the people around her pleaded with her to carry on helping children. So she soldiered on in spite of this tragedy. She had by then set up Chiguru, and children rescued from silk factories were housed, clothed, fed and educated by her organization. Threats and intimidation did not push her back..if at all, she was even more committed to the cause she so dearly espoused.
Today, child labor in the silk industry is no longer an issue. But child labor in other sectors and child abuse is still rampant. If Saroja was phenomenal, her wards were even more inspiring. We met Hasina whose father deserted the family; so she was sent to Bangalore at the tender age of seven, to work as a maid. Four years later, she was rescued by APSA and sent to Chiguru for rehabilitation. Hasina today is a happy, confident, 18-year old, full of beans, a phenomenal dancer, and the leader in the hostel. She aspires to be a District Collector. Another 12-year old girl, whose name I do not know, ran away from her village near Mysore after witnessing her father garrote her mother. She begged her way to Magadi and finally ended up at Chiguru ....we saw her as a shy and quiet girl, who with great reluctance, agreed to give the vote of thanks. Each girl there has a story, as riveting and heart-rending as the two I narrated.
But not one of them, including Saroja, have a sad bone in their body. They all are so peppy and vivacious that it is infectious. Chiguru is severely constrained for funds, but that does not stop them from reaching for the stars. Of course, if any of you wish to contribute financially, please do so. But when you do get a chance, take the time to visit Chiguru...it is a trip you will cherish for a very very long time...it may be a life changer for all you know!
Dushyant's recent class on Ancient History of China and Egypt to the children of Santosh Charity in Sarjapura enthused him to take the same class to the Chiguru kids of Magadi. So, we four jumped into a car Sun 9am for a nice, cool, 75kms drive to Magadi; Sarojamma joined us midway and took us to the facility.
At the end of the session, we drove a kilometer to the rather spartan hostel for lunch. Lunch itself was preceded by a lively dance show, choreographed by the girls themselves. As we all sat on the floor for lunch, every girl clamored to sit next to their beloved (Saroja)amma. A brief prayer later, the older girls served us all. As we were leaving, a young girl walked up to us with a bowl of candies. It was her birthday! As we drove back to Bangalore, each of us felt that we had had a phenomenally rich and moving experience. It turned out to be one of the best ways to start a New Year.
Somewhere in the midst of this, her journalist husband exposed a powerful man with deep political roots, of his nefarious activities. He paid the ultimate price for his work - he was brutally murdered; to this day, his murderers walk around scot free, thanks to their political connections. This horrific event made her pause, but the people around her pleaded with her to carry on helping children. So she soldiered on in spite of this tragedy. She had by then set up Chiguru, and children rescued from silk factories were housed, clothed, fed and educated by her organization. Threats and intimidation did not push her back..if at all, she was even more committed to the cause she so dearly espoused.
Today, child labor in the silk industry is no longer an issue. But child labor in other sectors and child abuse is still rampant. If Saroja was phenomenal, her wards were even more inspiring. We met Hasina whose father deserted the family; so she was sent to Bangalore at the tender age of seven, to work as a maid. Four years later, she was rescued by APSA and sent to Chiguru for rehabilitation. Hasina today is a happy, confident, 18-year old, full of beans, a phenomenal dancer, and the leader in the hostel. She aspires to be a District Collector. Another 12-year old girl, whose name I do not know, ran away from her village near Mysore after witnessing her father garrote her mother. She begged her way to Magadi and finally ended up at Chiguru ....we saw her as a shy and quiet girl, who with great reluctance, agreed to give the vote of thanks. Each girl there has a story, as riveting and heart-rending as the two I narrated.
But not one of them, including Saroja, have a sad bone in their body. They all are so peppy and vivacious that it is infectious. Chiguru is severely constrained for funds, but that does not stop them from reaching for the stars. Of course, if any of you wish to contribute financially, please do so. But when you do get a chance, take the time to visit Chiguru...it is a trip you will cherish for a very very long time...it may be a life changer for all you know!
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