The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Children on the move, literally!

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Children on the move, literally!

By W. Chandrakanth

HYDERABAD, APRIL 11. Two-and-a-half yea-old Kurvarthi plays around in the `kopu,' a 10 square ft area dug up by his parents -- Bhagwath and Jayamma -- in the Himayathsagar lake-bed unmindful of the activity around him or the hot sun beating down mercilessly.

A few feet away Rathnaiah, all of five years, has missed his school because he is sick. He is also playing on the lakebed.

They do not have a regular playground like other well-to-do children have and the venue of their activity shifts along with the crowbars, shovels and spades that their parents carry with them.

Migrant labour

Children of these migrant labour from far-off places like Sripathiraopeta of Kurnool or Lalkota of Mahabubnagar are literally `children on the move.' These two were born while their parents were on the move in fact.

Jayamma of Lalkota says: "We migrated an year ago to this place and go back to our villages once in an year perhaps. Most youngsters have migrated as there is no work back home. My mother-in-law stays back alone. We know these are hard times with recurring drought".

Bhagwanth, her husband, nods in agreement.

Rajendra was born to a `veteran migrant' Rathnaiah of Sripathiraopeta who migrated more than nine years ago from his village. "I do earthwork wherever available. Sometimes other odd wage opportunities come up".

His family is settled near Himayathsagar in a single room tenement. He adds: "We shell down about Rs.600 as rent per month".

His son shies away from revealing his name but adds "naaku andarilaage aadukovalanuntundhi" (I, too, like to play like others).

Only that he has crowbars and spades instead of swings and slides!

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Andhra Pradesh