E-Paper
In harvesting season in Bahraich, kids go on a different “abhiyan”
At a time when School Chalo Abhiyan has picked up pace across the state, kids in Terai belt of Bahraich go to fields during this season of wheat harvesting rather than school to help their parents
With bags in their hands, kids as young as 6-year-old leave their home early morning in Terai belt of Bahraich not for school but for a different mission altogether.
At a time when School Chalo Abhiyan has picked up pace across the state, kids here are compelled to go to fields during this season of wheat harvesting rather than school to help their parents.
Small children, holding bags in their hands, picking grains from wheat fields is a common sight in villages these days.
It may be noted that wheat crop is ready and harvesting process is on the peak. To minimize the harvesting process most farmers prefer machines. These machines shred the wheat plant and collects grain in a very short time. But in this process some portion of grains fall in the fields.
Children between age of 6 and 16 years then enter the fields and collect each grain with their hands.
On being asked Mahnaz, 12, of Jhinjhwa village said she will go to school after collecting wheat grain.
She said so far she had collected about 10 kilograms of wheat.
Another kid, Suraj, 10, said scorching sun was no matter and he feels very happy when his bag is full of grains.
When contacted a farmer Shambhu of Samsa village said “Harvesting season will finish within a few days but food is a daily need. So we prefer fields nowadays. We will send the kids to school once the harvesting season is over.”
He said this is quite common in this part of the country during the season where parents and elders were busy in harvesting of crops and small kids come out in support of their families by collecting the grains which would otherwise go waste.
On being contacted, headmaster at junior high school Gotutti Zafar (goes by one name) said: “There has been a decline in the attendance of children in schools, but we are doing our best to motivate students to come to school. We go to the students homes who are absent for more than three days besides we contact the parents at regular intervals to send their wards to school regularly. The situation would improve soon after harvesting season is over.”
