Al Amin too has a dream
|
Al Amin, is a 13-year-old boy who attends the Bridge Course Centre (BCC)run by Narayantala Mass Communication Society. He also works in a brick kiln in Bologhata, near Kolkata. Here he talks to a correspondent .
|
I wish : I could go to school.
What is your day like?
I wake up at 6.00 a.m. and go to the kiln to help my parents. From 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. I am at the BCC. Then after lunch at about 3.00 pm, I again go to help my parents at the brick kiln and by 6.30 pm I return to my hut. I have been enrolled in the school nearby, so nowadays I go to school by 10.00 a.m. and come back by 3.00 p.m. It is difficult for me to attend school regularly, as our family income is very low and sometimes I have to sell peas and nuts.
Tell us about your family. What do your parents do?
My mother is a homemaker and my father works in a brick kiln. I feel sad that I cannot spend time with my two older brothers, since they stay in Kolkata. They are day labourers.
My brothers, Sahaalam (19 years) and Saheb (16 years) left school when they were in Stds. IV and VI respectively. Both had worked in brick kilns before me. I have two sisters also, Moyana, 10, who is studying in Std. III at the Government School. My other sister, Kakuli, is now 22 years and is married. She studied up to Std. V. Are there a lot of children like you who work at the brick kiln?
Yes, there are children who come with their parents every year. Most of them are enrolled in the BCC, but sometimes, like me, they also have to work.
When you grow up, what would you like to be?
I always wanted to be a doctor or to work in a pharmaceutical company, since that helps people.
Is it hard working in the brick kiln?
Yes, because in brick kilns, especially during the peak season, I have to work continuously for a long time. We start work at 4.00 a.m. and go on till 5.00 p.m. We work in the scorching heat and also have to face the abusive language and threats from the munshi and the managers.
Photo : AFP
A tough life : Many kids work in brick kilns.
Do you have dreams?
My dream is to live in a good house and to travel in a car.
What is wrong if children like you work?
It is wrong to involve children in work because working creates physical pain and children will not be able to attend school and play like other children.
Do you want to go to school?
Yes, I like school and the teachers, because in school I can make friends and share many things with them. I can also learn many new things from the teachers. It helps me because then I do not have to tolerate the abusive behaviours of the munshi and managers.
When you see all these big buildings, what do you think?
I wonder why the people who live in the big buildings do not allow me to live there. My family and I make the bricks but we never get to live in the buildings made of these bricks. It makes me happy to see the beauty of the majestic buildings. I wish to have a house like that, so I want to study and make it possible to have a house.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Young World
