KailashSatyarthi:thetireless,unlikely

andaccessibleNobelpeaceprizewinner
Despitesavingalmost80,000childrenfromchildlabour,andnowaddingtheworldsmostfamous
awardtohisname,KailashSatyarthihasalwaysrestlesslysoughttodomore
KailashSatyarthihelpsfreechildrenfromslavery
AttheentrancetoKailashSatyarthisnondescriptofficeisasmallnoticeboard,oftheoldfashioned
type,withwhiteplasticletterspressedintoadarkfeltbackground.
Itmarksthenumberofchildrenhehasfreedfromslavery.WhenIfirstmetKailash,nearlyfouryears
ago,thenumberwasalittleover74,000.
IrememberbeingsostunnedbythefigureIscribbleditatthetopofmynotebook,asaremindertoask
himaboutit.Hewasundemonstrative,butperhapssecretlypleasedithadbeennoticed.
Thisiswhatwedo,thisisourjobeveryday,hesaidofhisorganisation,BachpanBachaoAndolan,
whichheformedin1980,afterleavinghisjobasanelectricalengineer.
Thatfigureonthenoticeboardisabouttotickover80,000.Thats80,000younglivestransformed
andnowtheNobelpeaceprize.
Inalmosteveryway,KailashSatyarthiisanunlikelyNobellaureate.
Hehasagmailaddress,correspondencetowhichheanswershimself,whenhecaneventuallyfindthe
hoursintheday.Hefreelygivesouthismobilephonenumber,and,again,whenhehastime,happily
answersittoallcallers.Andhehasmaintainedthesameofficeforyears,inadusty,poorlypaved
streetinunfashionableKalkaji,insouthDelhi.
Wewouldmeeteveryfewmonths.IwantedtotalkaboutstoriesIwasworkingon,hewaslookingto
furtherspreadhismessage.
Insidehisoffice,themeetingalwaysranthesame.Seatedbehindhisbroaddesk,barefootanddressed
inwhitekurtapyjamas,Kailashwasalwaysexpansive,alwaysgenerouswithtimehedidntreally
have.
Oversweet,milkychai,hewouldtalkabouttheraidsjustgoneandupcoming,hewouldrecountthe
onesthatwentwell,theonesthatendedbadly.
Hewouldshowthescarsfromtheinterventionsthathadgonereallybadly,likethetimeagroupof
menfromtheGreatRomanCircuswhowereemployingtraffickedteenagersfromNepalasdancing
girlsattackedhimwithironrodsandcricketbats.
Andwewoulddiscusstheindustriesandtheplacesthatwereprovinghardertoridofthescourgeof
childlabourhisphrasethanothers.
WithKailashsguidanceandcontacts,IpursuedstoriesonIndianchildrenmakingfootballsforsalein
Australia;girlssoldintobondedlabourschemesintextilemills;boysfrompoorfamiliestrafficked
thousandsofkilometrestoworkintiny,collapseproneratholecoalmines;girlsfromitinerant

familiesforcedbyeconomiccircumstanceintominingmica,themineralthatgoesintomakeupto
makeitshiny.
ButalwaystherewasmorewithKailash:morestoriesthemediacouldcovertohighlighttheproblem;
morethatthegovernmentcoulddotoenforcethelegislationparliamenthadpassedtooutlawchild
labourandmandateeducation;morepolicecoulddotostampoutthecorruptionthatmeantofficers
lookedtheotherway;morethatmultinationalcompaniesinthedevelopingworldcoulddotoensure
theywerentmakingtheirmoneyfromthebentbacksofchildren.
ButKailashrealised,too,thenuancesofchildlabourinthedevelopingworld.Itisnotasblackand
whiteasitisseeninthewest.
Thefamiliesinwhichchildrenworkaredesperatelypoor.Parentsareconcernedaboutearningenough
moneyjustsotheycaneat.
Invariably,childrenareencouragedtowork.Whatevermeagreincometheyearncanbethedifference
betweengoinghungryandnot,betweensurvivingandnot.
Butthereisadistinctionbetweenchildwork,wherechildrenworkalongsidetheirparentsafewhours
aweekafterschooltosupplementthefamilyincome,andchildlabour,wherechildrenaretakenoutof
schooltoworkandtheirfamilydependsonwhattheyearn.
Theformerisaninescapablefactofchildrengrowingupinlowincomeeconomies,thelatterisa
guaranteeofalifetimeofpoverty.
IknowIamtakingawaytheirfuture,butweneedtoeattoday,themotheroftwogirls,10and11,
whostitchedfootballsforalivingtoldme.
MuchhasbeenmadeofKailashSatyarthisharingtheNobelPeacePrizewithMalalaYousafzai.Of
theircontrasts:theyounggirl,theoldman;thePakistani,theIndian;theMuslim,theHindu;theworld
renowned,thebarelyknown.
Theyare,inreality,twosidesofthesamecoin.
Bothareseekingtoreturntochildrentheirchildhood.
SomehavearguedtheawardtoKailashandMalalaisnotinkeepingwiththeoriginalambitionof
AlfredNobel,whowantedaprizethatpromotedglobaldisarmament.
Butgettingchildrenoutofworkandintoschoolwilldomoreforworldpeacethanalmostanyother
act.
Childreninschoolswillchangetheworld.
Girlsborntoaliteratemotherare50%morelikelytosurviveuntiltheageoffive.
Boyswhohavethechanceatagenuineeducationandaworkinglifebeyonddontbecomeradical
fundamentalists.
UniversaleducationwilltransformdevelopingnationssuchasIndia,PakistanandBangladesh,places
wherethepracticeofkeepingchildren(especiallygirls)fromschooltowork,tobemarried,toraise
siblingsstubbornlypersists.
Acrossthosethreecountries,anestimated22millionprimaryschoolagedchildrenarenotinschool.
But,overwhelmingly,theobstaclesthatkeepthemfromclassaresolvable.

MalalawasstoppedfromgoingtoschoolbythevilefanaticismofthePakistaniTaliban.Butforevery
girlstoppedbyfundamentalism,thereare10inherpartoftheworldwhoarenotatschoolformuch
moreprosaicreasons.
Theydontgobecausetheschoolistoofaraway,becauseitisnotsafetowalkthere,becausethereis
nosegregationofboysandgirls,nomodestywall,orworkingtoilets.
Theystopgoingbecausetheteacherturnsuponlytomarktherollandgetpaid,orbecausethereareno
booksorpencils.
Theystayathomebecausetheyhavetocareforyoungersiblings,becausetheyhavebeenmarriedoff
aschildren,orbecausetheyaremadetogotowork.
InthewakeofhisNobelwin,Satyarthipromisedtojoinhandswithhisfellowlaureate.Butthe
IndianmanrescuingchildrenfromslaveryandthePakistaniteenagegirlencouragingthemintoschool
arealreadyworkinghandinhand.