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THE book paints a startling image of a great enigma that is India. In fact, India and Indians are faced with colossal economic and social contradictions. Dazzling prosperity of a miniscule minority cohabits with "dehumanising poverty" of teeming millions. The rich living in cities are "insensitive" to the people in remote interiors who are eternally in the "exile of civilisation" and a large number of withered and forlorn bonded labourers exist in a nation which is poised to dominate the world stage.
The author has highlighted such an issue which every one is aware of, but no one wants to accept, discuss and do something about. He has observed the problem from very close quarters because of the nature of his job and is a very sensitive humanist by conviction. Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah, a former Chief Justice of India, very aptly remarks in the "Foreword" about the compassion of the author: "Large tear drops would have smudged his manuscript". The book provides thoughtful insights into many dimensions of the social evil of bonded labour. He has shown every Indian the mirror of this social reality. While the promise of India’s future seems unlimited, so does the magnitude of its problems. The author has prudently divided the book into three sections to cover all the dimensions of the problem. The ILO Convention (29) defines forced labour as "all work or service which is extracted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily". The extreme form of bondage also includes the horror of child-bonded labour, trafficking in women and children, and social forms like devadasis and yoginies. It may be observed that a large number of women, old, disabled and children below the age of 14 are trapped into working for their very survival. Though the menace of bonded labour can be largely attributed to the indebtedness of landless labourer in the village, who gets into the vice-like grip of the landlord to pay back his debt, the root cause is acute poverty. Rural poverty in India dates back to the 18th century, when the erstwhile colonial rulers introduced the zamindari system. Eradication of poverty has been the main objective of all governments, however, the goal is nowhere in the sight. The problem also exists in the unorganised sectors like mining, beedi industry, building and construction work, sharecroppers, domestic help, brick kiln and stone quarries workers, etc. No law is able to protect the child labourer from the sharks out to exploit his very existence. The author laments that in spite of bonded labour and child labour having been abolished under Article 23 and 24 of the Constitution, the mindset of persons who are in a position to exploit human effort has not changed at all. The UN Declaration of Human Rights has also outlawed bonded labour under Article 4 of its Charter. The genesis of poverty in India can be traced to less-developed agriculture, which is the main occupation in village, illiteracy, lack of adequate employment avenues and low income and consumption levels. Households incur debts for consumption of food for survival, for social functions like marriage, death, etc., and for emergencies like ill health. The other reason for incurring debt is for buying capital or inputs for agriculture. The section on "Policy Initiatives" has been very painstakingly compiled and covers design of national policy, constitutional and legal provisions, and their implementation, judicial activism, role of media, etc. There is no doubt that political will is essential for fair and just implementation of the provisions of laws debated in Parliament and state Assemblies to unshackle the chains of helplessness caused by poverty, deprivation, indebtedness, disaffection, discrimination and bondage. There are a number of centrally sponsored schemes for the rehabilitation of bonded labourers, unfortunately, the benefits don’t reach the genuine persons. In fact, deep-rooted apathy of government officials towards adopting any remedial measures to remove the causes of poverty worsens the situation. The book is a great eye-opener for economists, leaders and policy-makers who have become complacent because of their satisfaction with India’s growth story. It is not only for the NGOs to work towards betterment of a large population of the unfortunate, in fact, every concerned citizen must do his/her bit. The author has done a brilliant work by agitating the consciousness of all sensitive human beings in our society. It is hoped that this book draws the attention of those who matter and acts as a ray of hope for the economically exploited helpless and weaker sections of society.
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We live in two Indias.
There are so many things which make us very proud Indians;
unfortunately, there are many others because of which many Indians are
ashamed of being identified as an Indian. That, the bonded labour system
still exists in India and no government has been able to do anything
substantial to alleviate the eternal pathos of human suffering and
provide them the basic right to live a life of dignity, indeed deserves
to be considered as national disgrace.