A farmer in Delhi: Condemned to paddle cycle rickshaw for life

A farmer in Delhi: Condemned to paddle cycle rickshaw for life

(The article, based on my encounter with a farmer turned rickshaw puller in Dwarka, Delhi during my trip to Delhi in September 2013, was published in The South Asian Times.)

Rajendra Yadav earns his living by paddling his cycle-rickshaw. He works in Dwarka, a continuously growing suburb of Delhi. While riding his rickshaw on way to a nearby Metro train station I spoke to Yadav and got an insight into the life of a common man who depends upon his physical strength for survival in a constantly changing society dictated by economic factors.

Yadav told me he didn’t require a permit for transporting his passengers to and fro the nearby Metro Train Station on city roads, neither he needed to stop on red lights while dangerously maneuvering the maze of fast moving cars and other vehicles.

Yadav hails from Hajipur, Bihar, where he owns a small farm that provides food for family of four. Yadav spends around nine months in the city paddling his rickshaw while he is busy for the rest of the year looking after his farm in his village. He supervises the crop plantation during the cultivating season and hands it over to his sons and wife to look after before he travelling back to Delhi for earning some cash. When the crops got ready to be reaped Yadav would go back to his village to manage the crop. “We grow enough food to support my family for the year”, he said. “I must earn some cash to pay for my education of my son so I came to Delhi to work as a rickshaw-puller.”

Yadav couldn’t graduate form his secondary school. However, he was able to finance his elder son’s education, who already graduated from high school. “I must earn enough to help my son continue his education further”, he asserted.

He said the rickshaw cost him Rupees 12,000 the amount he already paid off. “Fortunately, I don’t have any debt”, he said with a shy of relief.

Twenty years ago Yadav left his village as a non-Matric (one who couldn’t pass the secondary exam.) looking for a job and reached Chitaranjan Township, a locomotive township located on the border of West Bengal and Bihar. He failed to get an employment in the government-run factory but decided to stay there doing casual jobs which paid him too little to save for future. After living in Chitaranjan for more than a decade he decided to move to Delhi hoping to earn better wages. He arrived in Delhi and followed the footsteps of other less-educated migrants from Bihar, who were engaged in pulling rickshaws for a living. Yadav also bought a rickshaw for himself. His life now revolves around Delhi and Hajipur, between a manual job and farming.

Yadav worries for his future. He looks at the years ahead as an ageing man with decreasing physical strength for pulling a rickshaw as efficiently as he currently did. He is also worried about the possibilities of a disease that might hamper his abilities to work and helpless to pay for medical expenses.

“A healthy person can’t pull a rickshaw, loaded with two passengers, for more than three hours at a stretch”, he confessed. He takes rest frequently while waiting for the next passenger. He said he preferred to wait outside schools so he could transport young children after the schools were over. It takes less effort to transport kids but enables him earn better wages.

Laborers like Yadav, who form the lower strata of working class in India, are not covered under healthcare insurance. They must pay for their medical expenses.

What will happen if Yadav fell ill? How would he pay for his medical expenses? Yadav prays for a healthy life so he could pull his rickshaw as long as he could.

For the time being Yadav is handling his economy efficiently to protect himself from unknown debts. Though he is not guaranteed a secure life, as he grows older he has no option that to paddle has rickshaw in the maddening traffic of Delhi as long as he can paddle for three hours without getting exhausted.

The growing economy of India offers a source of income attractive enough for a farmer from rural India to migrate into its urban hub without any guarantee for a secure future.

Wanted: More Teachers of Indian Origin in American schools

Wanted: More Teachers of Indian Origin in American schools

 (Published in Desi Talk, March 2013 as part of Hindi Supplement)

Hindi is now accepted as a major foreign language being taught in US schools. As more school districts are gearing to include Hindi in their curriculum they face a shortage of state certified teachers. Unfortunately, education is not a preferred choice of college going students of Indian origin. Very few of those opting for a college degree in education are interested in teaching in Hindi. Some states, such as, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have developed a model for certification in Hindi language. Once there are more takers for certification in Hindi more states will certainly move towards developing certification models. Native speakers of Hindi who chose education as a career should earn at lease 30 credits in Hindi language and literature should they decide to go for certification in Hindi.

To create a balance in our schools it is important that Indian-American youth opted for a degree in education. If they chose to teach Hindi they will help Heritage kids learn their own language and connect with the culture.  On the other hand more non-heritage students will be attracted to Hindi classes.

Indian American community can play an important role in promoting Hindi learning among the younger generation. I have experienced that most parents responded positively when they are reminded the importance of native language and culture. More parents of Indian origin are sending their children to learn Hindi in STARTALK summer programs. STARTALK Hindi programs deserve full support of our community.

STARTALK teacher training programs are building a network of trained Hindi teachers. These teachers should continue to upgrade their skills and knowledge using digital tools. At the same time Indian American communities around the country should make organized efforts to demand Hindi courses in local schools. We also need to pool our resources to establish regular Hindi schools as integral part of US School system.

Dr. Surendra Gambhir, whose comments appear on these pages, suggests a unique idea to establish World Hindi Institute. He appeals to the Government of India as well as the Indian owned businesses in America for supporting the cause of Hindi. “Hindi must be a default language in our consulates”, he opines.

Let us hope that the much needed support will be forthcoming.

How does US deal with visa fraud

Indian businesses most affected by US immigration laws
(An edited version of this article was published in The South Asian Times dated January 4, 2014)

The United States Justice Department is known to have taken tough stand against visa fraud cases. In many cases financial compensations and penalties have been sufficient to resolve them, punishments, such as imprisonment, have been rare. As the court system in the United States takes its course, the State Department is worried about fall-outs of its carefully built relationships with foreign nations. Commercial interests are top priorities for any government, especially the United States. These interests determine long-term foreign policies of the United States.
The US was not expecting tough responses from the Indian government for the arrest of its New York based consular official Devyani Khobragade, who was also subjected to humiliating searches after her arrest.  The Indian official was alleged to have submitted false information in the visa application for her housekeeper. While United States refuses to allow immunity to foreign diplomats while investigating visa fraud cases it has been forced to negotiate with the Indian Government for a restoring a number of privileges withdrawn by India in response to US action.
One hasn’t forgotten the way United States evacuated its employees from Lahore, Pakistan, convicted by a Pakistani court for killing locals. The United States succeeded evacuating its convicted citizens only after paying hefty sums of money to victims’ families.
At the bottom of the tough stand taken by US courts in cases of abuses by foreign diplomats are vigorous campaigning by human rights or civil rights organizations.  According to the American Civil Liberties Union diplomatic and consular officials usually escape responsibility for violations of laws, such as, human trafficking and workers protection because immunity laws protect them. In case of Khobragade, she has already been transferred to a new post in the United Nations in order to facilitate her full immunity from a future legal action and exemption against appearing in a court.
A number of diplomats and consular officials in the US have been accused of abusing their privileges of immunity. In some cases women were lured to the United States with false promises. Once in the US, their passports were confiscated while the workers were forced to work for long hours with little or no pay. Some women reported physical and sexual abuses by their keepers.
“Even when victims have been able to escape their abusers and seek restitution, immunity laws are often used to prohibit courts from so much as considering their claims. Absent a waiver of immunity, diplomats and consular officials enjoy total impunity for the mistreatment of their employees – at least until they leave their posts.”
According to the U.S. Department of State, an estimated 18,000 – 20,000 individuals are trafficked into this country each year. However, in cases in which the traffickers have diplomatic immunity, the victims, have no avenue for redress or compensation for the abuse and exploitation they suffered. “Domestic workers are extremely vulnerable to exploitation for a variety of reasons including unfamiliarity with their domestic and international rights, cultural and language barriers, and in many cases long work hours in isolation from their peers.”
The civil rights groups have demanded compensation for victims from the official's home country. “Such an approach would be an important step towards ending abuse of domestic workers by diplomats.” Punishments like imprisonment may not be the desired goal of human rights campaigns.
In 2005 ACLU represented three Indian women, Kumari Sabbithi, Joaquina Quadros and Tina Fernandes, who were employed as domestic workers by Major Waleed Al Saleh and his wife Maysaa Al Omar of McLean, Virginia. The women were brought to the United States under false pretexts, and were subjected to physical and psychological abuse by the Al Saleh family and forced to work against their will. In the winter of that year, fearing for their lives, each of the women individually fled the household. The Kuwaiti government agreed to a confidential settlement with the women in February 2012. The successful settlement of this case demonstrates that diplomatic immunity does not deny victims of human trafficking and human rights abuses from obtaining justice. The rights groups, Safe Horizon, which represented Susan Richard, the complainant against Khobragade, called for a fair trial and compensation for Richard.
Financial settlement was also accorded when India’s second-largest outsourcing firm, Infosys, agreed to pay $34 million to complete a civil settlement and conclude investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and resolve all visa and I-9 issues with the U.S. Departments of State, Immigration and Homeland Security. It was the largest ever visa fine imposed by the U.S. government. Infosys denied and disputed any claims of visa fraud or immigration abuse. There were no criminal charges or court rulings against the Company.

It was alleged that Infosys illegally placed workers with its American customers on short stay B-1 visas usually meant for business visitors. The investigation isn’t the first into the area of work visas. The Justice Department investigated IBM for violating antidiscrimination rules by stating visa preferences in job ads.

India is the biggest source of guest workers hired through H-1Bs, a non-immigrant specialist visa that lasts three to six years. Indians received more than half of the 106,445 first-time H-1Bs in the year ending September 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Cognizant is currently the largest recipient of H-1B visas. According to Gordon Coburn, president of Cognizant, he used the program to find the skills necessary for outsourcing tasks, not to replace U.S. workers.

सितम्बर २०१३ में मेरे दिल्ली प्रवास के अनुभव

 दिल्ली की बदलती तस्वीर 

            (यह लेख सितम्बर २०१३ में मेरे दिल्ली प्रवास के दौरान अनुभवों पर आधारित है। )

'दिल्ली में डेंगू से अब तक एक हज़ार सात सौ मरे ....' दिल्ली की एक दस मंजिली इमारत में बालकनी में बैठे बैठे जब यह समाचार पढ़ रहा हूँ, तीन मच्छर काट चुके हैं। इमारत के पड़ोस में डी डी ए का खुला मैदान है जिसमे पानी जमा रहता है, झाड़ियाँ उग आयी हैं, उनमें  सफ़ेद रंग के जहरीले फूल खिले हैं। सरकार के स्वास्थ्य अधिकारी कहीं दिखाई नहीं देते। पड़ोस के बच्चे स्कूल जाने के बदले इसी मैदान में खेलते हैं। पास के डी डी ए पार्क की दीवारों पर पेड़ों के छाये तले बैठे हैं १० से १२ साल के बच्चे-इनके हाथों में प्लास्टिक की छोटी थैलियाँ हैं जिनमे सफ़ेद रंग के द्रव्य भरे हैं। थोड़ी थोड़ी देर में उन्हें चूसते रहते हैं। पास की इमारत के गार्ड बताते हैं--प्लास्टिक की थैलियों में संभवतः घरों को पेण्ट करने वाले पदार्थ या, मोटर टायर के पंक्चर ठीक करने वाला रसायन होता है, जिन्हें चाटने से नशा होता है। कभी कभी ये बच्चे झाड़ियों में एकत्र हो कर नशा करते हैं। दिल्ली के इस इलाके में मकानों की कीमत करोड़ों में है। करोड़ों की इमारतें, डेंगू फ़ैलाने वाले मच्छर, और नशा करते किशोर सब पास पास रहते हैं।

अर्थशास्त्रियों के अनुसार दिल्ली सहित पूरे भारत में लोगों की आय बढ़ रही है, मध्यम वर्ग फैल रहा है, मकानों की कीमतें असमान पर हैं। लेकिन अर्थशास्त्री इस बात की चर्चा नहीं करते कि डेंगू फैलाने वाले मच्छर कितने लोगों को मरते हैं। मंत्री की चिंता है अस्पतालों में डेंगू से पीड़ित लोगों के लिए अधिक बिस्तर तैयार करने की, शहर को साफ़ सुथरा बनाने की बात कोई नहीं करता। मरते हुए इनसान किसी को झकझोरते नहीं, न सरकारी तंत्र को, न ही आन्दोलनकारियों को-डेंगू एक सामाजिक सत्य है जिसे पनपते हुए देखने की आदत दिल्लीवासियों को हो चुकी है। 

नुक्कड़ पर बने मदर डेरी की दूकान पर दूध खरीदने वाले लोगों की अनुशासित लम्बी लाईन लगी है। दूकान के पिछवाड़े में कल रात होटल वाले ने ठेले वाले ने बचा हुआ चावल और नूडल की ढेर फ़ेंक दी थी उसे एक अधेड़ औरत और एक किशोर खंगालते रहे हैं! इसका  क्या करेंगे? डेरी के एक कर्मचारी ने बताया: ये लोग इसे सूअरों को खिलाएंगे। मैं राहत की सांस लेता हूँ यह सोच कर कि होटल का फेंका हुआ भोजन इन्सान के नहीं, पालतू पशुओं के काम आएगा। शायद दिल्ली प्रगति कर रहा है, लेकिन देश में अभी भी ऐसे लोग हैं जो जूठन में अपना भोजन तलाशते नज़र आते हैं।

लाल किले के निकट पुरानी दिल्ली की बस्ती में पैखाने और पेशाब की बदबू फेंफड़े को भर देती है। पास की गली में अंडे और टालते हुए भोजन की दूकानों की कतार--मेरे मित्र ने कहा अन्दर दूर तक गन्दगी, बदबू, और भीड़ के दमघोटूं माहौल में रहते हैं लाखों लोग, जिनमें अधिकांश अल्पसंख्यक समुदाय के हैं, हालां कि अल्पसंख्यकों की खारख्वाह बनाने वाले राजनेताओं की कमी नहीं। विश्वास नहीं होता कि यह भारत की राजधानी है और इन्हीं रास्तों से गुजरते हैं भारत के प्रधान मंत्री प्रति वर्ष १५ अगस्त को भारत का राष्ट्रीय ध्वज लाल किले पर फहराने के लिए।

पिछले कई दिनों से चर्चा है भूतपूर्व सेनाध्यक्ष वी के सिंह के उस वक्तव्य की जिसमें उन्होंने खुलाशा किया कि कश्मीरी नेताओं को भारतीय सेना चुपके से पैसे देती थी ताकि वे भारत के समर्थक बने रहें। देश हित में बहुत कुछ होता रहता है, जिसे लोगों को बताया नहीं जाता। जैसे सी आई ए अफ़गानिस्तान, इराक और अन्य देशों में राजनेताओं को धन दिया करती है। इसका भांडा फूटा लेकिन अमेरिका की विदेश नीति पर कोई असर नहीं हुआ। देश इस विवाद में लिपटा है कि पूर्व सेनाध्यक्ष को गुप्त सैनिक गतिविधियों पर टिपण्णी करनी चाहिए थी या नहीं, उधर सीमा पार से आतंकवादियों ने हमला कर दिया और ११ सैनिक शहीद हो गए। देश इन हमलों का इतना आदी हो चुका है कि कोई प्रतिक्रिया नहीं होती, बस मरने वालों की गिनती कर ली जाती है। देश इन खबरों से आक्रोषित नहीं होता, शायद आक्रोषित होते होते थक चूका है। थक चूके हैं मेट्रो स्टेशनों पर बन्दूक ताने सुरक्षा कर्मी आतंकियों की प्रतीक्षा करते हुए। जीवन चलता रहता है, मेट्रो से बाहर की तरफ और बाहर से मेट्रो स्टेशन की ओर।

कनाट प्लेस के महंगे होटलों में अँधेरे कोनों में मुंह सटाए युवक युवतियां शराब की चुस्कियां ले रहे हैं। दोपहर तीन बजे युवा पीढ़ी के ये सदस्य किसी कम्पनी में नौकरी नहीं कर रहे होंगे, शायद कॉलेज में पढ़ते हों, और कक्षा में जाने के बदले प्रेम के महंगे पेंग लगाने के लिए होटल का यह कोना चुन होगा। 'हैप्पी आवर' में 'बाई वन गेट वन फ्री' का नारा युवा पीढ़ी को शराब की लत लगाने के लिए कारगर साबित हो रहा है। राजधानी में अमीर वर्ग की नयी पीढ़ी से काफी उम्मीदें हैं।