My first short film

I'm now working on my first short fil - it's written by me. Hoping that it will be really good.

CHILD LABOUR AND IIT – THE PERFECT MISMATCH

Recently there were articles spammed across the social networking sites on KGP being the best IIT there is. Yes, we do have a system which lets US live life to the full, but NO we do not have a system that enables everyone to lead a similar life. Look around you and then you’ll see the injustice to which I’m pointing my fingers at.



To say that IIT Kharagpur is a breeding ground for Child Labour – One of the biggest social issues of the past decade is a disgrace. No reasons can justify why a reputed institute like ours closes its eyes on such an issue. IITs are expected to lead by example and create skilled people for the world, but the entire image itself is destroyed by what happens in the background.



A few common examples can give everyone a much clearer image:

VS – One of the most common eating joints in the institute. Hundreds of students visit the place daily and there would be only a handful of people who would have noticed the kid working there. If you have talked to him, you will understand how happy he is to have people talk to him. All he sees around him is students hanging out when he is being deprived of his childhood.



Vegies – When you need to eat at 2 in the night, you drop by this place and you can hear the bulky guy shouting at the top of his voice to a couple of kids. The cook for you and then they sometimes have to serve for you as well. If you drop by the same place in the morning you’ll notice these kids still working there. I once asked one of them if they go to school and he was too scared to reply. Sometimes you can notice them staying there overnight.



The examples are plenty – Azeem’s (NH), MMM Canteen, LLR Canteen, the cycle shop opposite BC Roy Hospital, Cheddis(Although not inside the campus – it forms an integral part of KGP life) and these are only few of the places I know of.



One of the most embarrassing events that I’ve come across was during the NSS blood donation camp in 2012. The blood donation camp is for a good cause, but to have a small kid serve tea for everyone marred the entire image of the camp. On talking to Prof Goutam Saha (in charge of NSS), he was of the same opinion. The only thing he could do then was sending the boy back to where he works. He had a few good things to say. We are all impulsive. We only react when we see such things, but we never do anything to follow up. To be frank he was right – after this incident, this note is the first thing I have done to spread some awareness.



To solve the problem is not easy. It takes patience and perseverance. Financial problem is mostly the reason why these kids are forced to work, but in any case the reason as to why they are denied their childhood has to be identified.

As some wise man once said – Charity begins at home. Your college is your second home. With a student population of around 9000, imagine what we can achieve together?



There are groups and several people working for social cause – I do not know of their work on this issue. But their sincere work can certainly make a difference. Many of us fasted for Anna Hazare, but what have we achieved? We spend hundreds of rupees every day, what if you take just one rupee out of it and add it to the contribution of the remaining 9000?

Instead of researching on the sexual orientation of the entire campus, what if a medium like the Scholars Avenue did something for a social cause?

Instead of mocking on the unique tradition “Illu” of our college what if TLS put up one wall magazine for awareness?

I do not mean to insult any group or person, all I ask of you all is not to close your eyes to what is happening in front of you. We all have memories to cherish from our school or college life, for once think about the children around you who are being deprived of such memories.