I had three small children and my income was not even a single rupee. Many years passed when I had no work. I neither had land for farming nor any cattle for grazing. By borrowing money and doing odd jobs, he was somehow able to feed his family one meal a day. gradually
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An acquaintance from the village introduced me to Sunny and said that he can help you. When he went to Sunny, he asked who was in the house. I told, two daughters, one son, me and my wife. He immediately said, give the elder daughter to me and take the money.
I gave my elder daughter Bindiya to Sunny for one year in exchange of one lakh rupees. He sold my 10 year old daughter to God knows who. He told me that he would introduce me to Bindiya from time to time. Will teach him. Forget about introducing us, he never made us talk even on phone.
As soon as Gopichand said this, his wife Sangeeta starts crying. She says- I longed to see my daughter. Sunny had said to return the money after one year and take the daughter back. Years passed, but the daughter did not come home.
Today in Blackboard the dark story of a village in Rajasthan where parents are sending their daughters on lease to pay off the debt… It is only 6 in the evening, there is silence in the Kanjar colony of Nadiakhedi, 110 kilometers away from Kota. There is no one to be seen here on a cold December night. Cutting through the darkness, my car reached Gopichand’s house.
Gopichand was sitting near the stove outside the house with his wife Sangeeta. I asked, there is darkness in the entire colony, when will the lights come back. Got the answer: There is no electricity connection here.
There are 10-15 houses made of Kota stone in this colony and there is no plaster on any of the houses. People of Kanjar community live here, who do not have any permanent source of income. No fields, no cattle and no business.
I asked Gopichand, what do you do? He says I don’t have any work. Sometimes I graze someone’s cattle or work as a labourer. Sometimes I come home, sometimes I don’t even come home.
Who is there in the house? On this Gopichand says, I have a wife and a daughter. There was a son who has now passed away. Then I asked where is your elder daughter? Gopichand gets a little nervous on this. He says- I have only one daughter, who is sitting in front. When repeatedly asked, he said that he had given his elder daughter Bindiya to Sunny in exchange of one lakh rupees.
Sunny took our daughter to who knows where and sold her. Before giving my daughter to him, I had asked him several times whether he would bring me to meet him, he had also said yes, yet he never came back.
Gopichand says that the debt had increased so he gave his daughter to the broker for one lakh rupees.
I asked who is this Sunny? Did you know this already? Gopichand said that our debt had increased a lot. There was no means of earning so were not able to pay. An acquaintance from the village introduced us to Sunny. I had never met him before. Sunny said that he is from NGO and helps poor people like us.
In exchange of one lakh rupees, he kept my 10 year old Bindiya. Sunny had promised that he will educate Bindiya, give her good clothes and after a year, when we return one lakh rupees, he will return her daughter. He had also got us to put our thumb impression on the paper, Sunny took that paper with himself.
Do you have any picture of Bindiya? As soon as Sangeeta asked this, she went inside the house. There was nothing in Sangeeta’s house except walls. Sangeeta opened a pink bundle from the rope tied between those walls and showed me Bindiya’s picture.
Bindiya, wearing dark complexion, big beautiful brown eyes, pink flowers on white lehenga-choli and colorful bangles in her hands, is standing with her mother in the photo. Sangeeta says with tears in her eyes that my daughter was good and intelligent. She used to support me and get the household work done. If I had money today, I would have brought my daughter back. I have no source of income, this is a house whose roof leaks water.
Sangeeta says that if I had money, I would have brought my daughter home. Now I don’t know where my daughter is.
I was just talking to Sangeeta, a voice came from behind, Madam, do you know anything about Bindiya? When I turned, I saw a girl standing wearing a pink colored lehenga and blouse.
When asked her name she said Guddi.
Coming near me, Guddi looks at me with hopeful eyes. She remains silent for some time, then says, Bindiya was a very good friend of mine, I miss her a lot. Don’t know where she would be, how she would survive. Both of us used to swing for hours by tying a swing to a Neem tree. Now has she gone on business?
As soon as Guddi said this, Sangeeta immediately said, she did not go for business, we had given her to Sunny. Our daughter will come back one day.
Gradually a crowd starts gathering outside Gopichand’s house. The news of our arrival spreads throughout the colony. A boy from the same crowd comes and advises us to leave from here as soon as possible. The people you are talking about are very dangerous people. They have come to know that you have come here. Not only is this dangerous for you, Gopichand and Sangeeta may also get into trouble.
Gopichand and Sangeeta also refuse to say anything further, so we get up and leave from there. While leaving, Sangeeta holds my hand and says madam, you have long hands, you can bring my Bindiya. I hugged him and sat in the car and could not muster the courage to look back.
This story is not just of one family but of many nearby villages, where people lease their daughters to brokers from other states to pay off debts and earn livelihood. While searching for some more such families, I reached the Kanjar colony of Biriyakheri village. The condition of this colony was also similar to that of Nadiakhedi.
These people of the Kanjar community, living in the absence of basic facilities, struggle every day for a single meal.
Holding passport size photographs of his daughters in his hand, Roopchand says, I had three daughters. Who knows what hell they are in now? I had given my three daughters to the boy in exchange for money.
I asked what did you mean by giving it to the boy? On this, Roopchand explains that the person to whom it was given would educate her and get her married in a good place when she grows up. Rajrani had promised that she would introduce me to her daughters from time to time, but this did not happen. Rajrani put my daughters to work. I even complained about this to the police, but no one helped. I have come to know that now my elder daughter has also given birth to a girl.
Roopchand gave his three daughters on lease for money.
How old were your daughters? My elder daughter Reena was 15 years old and 15 years have passed since she left home. Pooja was 10 years old and it has been 12 years since she was married. My younger daughter Chanda is now 13 years old, I gave it to her at the age of 7. We were also told that from time to time you will also be given more money. Till date neither the daughter has come nor the money has been received.
He took Reena away by giving her only Rs 5,000. Pooja was taken away by giving Rs 10 thousand and Chanda Rs 50 thousand. With so little money we could not even repay our loan. There was no one to show us the right path and the problem was so much that no other path could be found. The brokers took advantage of this compulsion.
Roopchand now has only passport size photographs of his three daughters.
What was the compulsion that you had to give your daughters? On this Roopchand says that the police had filed cases against me. We are from Kanjar community, this is what happens to us. Wherever there is theft or robbery, the police takes us away. Our community has been stigmatized as criminals for a long time. The poverty was so great that I gave away my daughters for some money. Tried a lot to bring the girls back, but could not and the policemen also did not help. I don’t sleep the whole night. I remember my daughters Reena, Pooja and Chanda all the time.
Roopchand’s wife Sarita starts crying bitterly remembering her daughters. She says that we never thought that she would be put to work. If she had been with me, I would have got him married and settled his house. It’s been many years since I saw my daughters. Sarita points towards Roopchand and says that today because of him my daughters are not with me. I have two more daughters, I am afraid that he might put them on lease too.
After talking to the residents of the colony, it was found that in the same colony a person named Rakesh has also given his 6 year old daughter on lease. When we reached Rakesh’s house, he flatly refused to talk to us. When we asked where our daughter is, they said that we happily sent her to her distant aunt’s house. I asked in which village aunt lives, on this Rakesh said, I do not remember the name of the village. As soon as he says this, he starts closing the door of the house.
Rakesh has given his 6 year old daughter on lease for Rs 50 thousand.
His wife Sudha starts screaming from inside the house. She says, why does he lie, why doesn’t he tell that he has given his daughter in exchange for money.
Sudha comes out of the house crying, comes to me and says, if I had money, I would have brought my daughter back. He sold my daughter for Rs 50 thousand. On this Rakesh says that he has not been sold but has been given to the boy, he will be taken care of there. How can we feed him here, we don’t have anything to eat ourselves. As soon as he says this, a fight starts between Rakesh and Sudha.
More people also start gathering outside Rakesh’s house. People say why doesn’t he tell the truth that the girl is given on lease. Who knows, the government may help you if you speak the truth. On this Rakesh says that I should not tell anything to anyone, madam you go away from here. If those people find out that I have talked to the media, I will be in big trouble. Then no one will come to help me. We have neither government nor police.
We reached out to social worker Vijay (name changed) to know the entire modus operandi of giving the girls on lease. Vijay tells that if the financial condition of someone’s house is not good, then these people convince him and take the girl. It is said that we will nurture the girl and get her married to a good boy. After paying some money, they take the girl and sell her further and earn huge money.
Later the family tries to bring the girl back, but the girl is not found. The matter even reaches the Panchas. There too, the matter is hushed up by reconciling among themselves and handing over some more money to the family.
We even called back two girls by calling the call centre, but the parents gave them back to the broker after some time. In most of such cases, the deal is done on the basis of paper i.e. document. If the girl runs away or returns to her parents, it is the responsibility of the parents to send the girl back to the pimp until the lease is completed.
Vijay tells that this business is flourishing in the nearby villages Jarele, Chandiakhedi, Nadiakhedi, Narayanpura, Kishanpura, Bidiyakhedi. Due to poverty these people are not able to educate their children. They say that if they give their daughter on lease they will become debt free, but they are not able to get enough money to become debt free. The middlemen fool them and cheat them.
(All names have been changed to protect identity)
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Also read these news of Blackboard series…
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Jeta’s husband Man Singh Munna committed suicide 21 days ago. Man Singh had given dowry in the marriage of his only son by taking a loan. Man Singh could not repay this debt and got upset and hanged himself. Read the full news…
2. Blackboard- Beat, tore clothes and made my husband sit on my shoulder: Punishment given in doubt, pain of ‘Ghodi Ladi’ evil practice of Madhya Pradesh
‘People beat me a lot that day. The women tore my clothes. He was beaten with whatever sticks and bats he could get his hands on. Did dirty things with me. He hit me so much that I became unconscious. Read the full news…
3.Blackboard- I am a man, forced to live as a eunuch: 15 lakh loan, the bank took away the car; Why are men roaming around disguised as eunuchs?
‘Some speak sweetly, while others speak like a sixpence or a eunuch. They also touch while coming and going. I felt bad in the beginning. I used to be able to control myself with great difficulty, but now gradually it has become a habit to listen and tolerate all this. So to say, I am a man in my house, I have a wife and children too. Read the full news…