[Survivor Series] I am determined to give my children an education so they can live respectably

I was 12 years old when I was first sent by my family to work as a bonded labourer. My family belonged to a Scheduled Tribe community in Kollegal and we were poor, but none of us was involved in bonded labour.

In 1997, my mother took a Rs 50,000 loan to be able to organise my sister’s marriage. I was sent to work in our debtor’s house. In my second year of service, my father died and I returned home. But, we still owed our debtor, so my mother took another loan of Rs 45,000 to pay off the first debt. I worked in his house for seven years to repay that loan. 

I had barely finished repaying that loan when circumstances forced my mother to take another loan of Rs 15,000 for my second sister’s wedding. I then moved there to work for three years to repay the loan. My life as a bonded labourer was very difficult. My first salary was only Rs 2,000 a year and in that final house, it had increased to Rs 5,000 a year. 

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While working in my third debtor’s home, I first interacted with Chandrashekarmurthy, who was the Jeevika Hobali co-ordinator. He was doing a survey in our area and interacting with bonded labourers to help them secure their freedom. He gave me a form to sign that would help secure my release. After a government enquiry, I was released from bondage.     

In 2012, I received my release certificate and Rs.1,000 as an initial amount for rehabilitation as a free citizen.

Today, my wife and I work as wage labourers. We have two children. My daughter is three years old and my son is two years old. They are both going to the anaganwadi, and I want to educate them and give them a bright future to live respectably in society. 

I often think about my childhood and how carefree it was before I was forced into bonded labour. I would sleep by 8 pm and wake up only at 8 am. As a bonded labourer, I would wake up at 5 am and work non-stop till 10.30 pm at night. It was a very hard life and I am determined to use all my government grant money to ensure that my children never meet the same fate. 

I am also actively involved with Jeevika in the rehabilitation of other bonded labourers. I am a member of the union of bonded labourers and agricultural workers.  I will try my best to eradicate the bonded labour system in this country.  And I will always be grateful to the Jeevika activists for securing my release.