30/07/2017
We are sure by recognizing Kasuma & many others like him we can bring an end to child labour and many such alarming issues that has forced artisan to say "I QUIT". It's a brief story of little Aabheri, an eight year girl from Raghupur in Orrisa, she had to do hard labour over education to support her family, that forced her adolescence to lose her kindergarten, bread over passion and a necessity over life.
The heart moving story of Raghupur brings urban paradox of how we are supporting these artisans who deserved to be celebrated & recognized for their outstanding work. On banks of Baitarani River, a little girl would always sit under the mango tree and be an onlooker to the children coming back from primary school; she would often wonder why like others she can’t go to the school. Aabheri’s father Kasuma, a dynastic had to leave magnificent in absence of market and recognition to become an ordinary agriculture labour, in order to earn livelihood for two daughters and one son (these children lost their mother 6-months back). His fields are now mortgaged to Zamindar of the village; Aabheri knew that his father won’t be able to pick up the brush & paint the magic, so she decided to support her father by selling groceries to support in whatever manner for the survival of her siblings who are younger to her. A child whose voice would always echo in the ears of neighbours, an innocent smile that touched the hearts of every villager, and an innocent and curious eye asking so many questions, the childhood of Aabheri is lost in translation, forced by work and earning in her nascent age. Are we responsible for this great loss? A lost artist and a timeless craft OR a lost childhood OR both...
