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| UNREPORTED LIVES |
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Future without hope |
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He reminds me of myself when I was 12. Although I have limited memory of what I was like, my mom tells me that I was very restless, ate a lot, and hopped around. But this isn’t my story; this is the story of a kid from Chobhar whose daily life is totally different from other kids in the cities.
“I get up at seven, eat something and then go to school. I come back and start crushing stones here,” says the less talkative, shy and humble 12-year-old Bhim Gurung from Chobhar, a constituency of ex-Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”
His parents, Nakamaya and Tuk Bahadur, tell me that he’s normal around them but almost speechless in front of strangers. It took an hour for him to open up and start talking to me. At first, I didn’t want to bother him while he was working; but later on, two chirpy friends of his came along and started talking to me. I guess it encouraged him to finally start talking.
“They are my best friends and we are together all day,” Bhim said, pointing his work-hardened finger at the two other boys, Anish and Romak. I was gradually convinced of their closeness by the way they shadowed each other everywhere in and around the quarry and the pond it has created.
According to the parents, many children and even some adults have already drowned in the pond. They don’t have anything else to do apart from crushing stones. So swimming is a diversion. When I explained about the dangers of swimming in the pond, one boy shouted in sheer exuberance, “We are champions!”
Observing Bhim at work, it’s evident that he shouldn’t be working here. But he didn’t choose to be here.
“We don’t have any other choice, do we? We either do this, or starve to death,” echoes Nakamaya as a matter of fact. “My husband shuffles between working as a loader in the city and crushes stones here sometimes.” She adds. “But apart from paying the rent and other bills, he doesn’t support the family in any big way.” Her tone is desperate.
The tales of her misfortune are shocking. Her sister married a ‘Lahure’ (British Gurkha soldier) and is in the UK. Her brother is in Brunei.
“But no, they don’t support me, and I haven’t seen them for ages,” adds the mother of five.
Clearly, Bhim doesn’t like to crush stones here as he’s been doing for the past four years. But he has friends at the quarry who are also stone crushers. That helps to make it normal for him.
I see the whole family at work. But they have one problem. It’s not that their work has health hazards, or that they are underpaid. The problem is that since they have only two hammers, only two of them can crush stone at one time.
“My daughters are too young to crush stones, but soon they’ll also start working. For now, it’s either my son and me, or my husband and me.” That means they need another hammer.
If she had her way, she wouldn’t want her children here because it’s not a good place to work and earn. She thinks this is a tough job and unhealthy. She would rather like her son to study and become a policeman someday. Bhim also wants to do the same in the future.
“Why a policeman?” I asked. He looked at me and said after sometime, “To serve and protect my nation.” But all said and done, Bhim and his family are hopeless about the future. And he’s willing to crush stones all his life if he has no other choice.
But there are diversions at Chobhar.
“I saw Nikhil Uprety face to face,” exclaims Bhim in childlike innocence. He’s a huge fan of Nikhil’s, and Chobhar is a popular destination for Nepali film crews.
“We often get to see lots of actors here. But when they shoot here, most children disappear for the whole day,” adds Nakamaya.
So it’s either the kids go to school, or play, or watch Nepali movies being shot, or crush stones. During holidays, they sneak away to places to watch movies or cartoons.
“Bhim hasn’t had any accidents or injuries while crushing stones. But I’m sure he’ll be bruised one day and it’ll continue forever,” says his mother.
Bhim can finish one big ‘doko’ (basket) of stone crushing in a day which pays him Rs. 25. With part of the money, he buys whatever he wants, including pens, pencils and notebooks.
“If any amount is left, I spend it in eating with my friends,” adds the lad.
The reality, however, is bleak, as one can see. Bhim realizes that not having education or being a stone crusher will leave him exactly where he is today. Even then, he has no hope for his future and is ready to crush stones all his life.
“There are lots of things I want to do, but I just can’t,” Bhim ruefully says. But if given a chance, he says he’ll study very hard and someday become a policeman.
Well, any takers for Bhim Gurung?
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