The Hindu Business Line : Ghat's children

Hello," a young voice calls out in English as we approach the ghat. "Take these lamps. only Rs 10," Shabnam, 10, speaks with an accent, showing us the basket filled with lamps, each neatly lined by flowers. Pilgrims make a wish, light the lamps, and watch with faith and hope as it floats away. For children selling these lamps for Rs 5 to locals, and Rs 10 to foreigners, hope is too complex a word.

Each evening, before the Ganga arti begins, these children gather near the place of ceremony. Their cheery faces almost make you forget that at the end of the day, all that matters to them is what they have earned for their families.

They are children of mothers selling flowers or fathers selling boat-rides, or sari shopkeepers looking for customers. Families want these children to learn foreign languages so they can converse with tourists and thereby earn more tips. Many of them can speak sentences in Spanish, French, German and Japanese, all with an accent, and exude confidence in body language, speech and conduct.

Jothi, 14, helps her mother sell flowers. "I am in Class 8 and want to study till Class 10 at least. I have learnt a beautician course and hope to work some day," she says in English, as her father looks on proudly.

On this day, Jothi is here because the family needs extra money. "Only children from poor families work in the ghat. My father drinks and spends the money we earn, and so I need to work some days," she says, ignoring her father who appears drunk. She says she wants to help him overcome his drinking problem, but doesn't know how. For now, she refuses to talk to him till he sobers down.

Bikas, 12, has been working in the ghats since January this year, and has learnt bits of Spanish, Japanese and French from his brother. Bikas takes tourists to his brother's shop, which sells Benarasi silk saris. He wants to study till Class 12 and work after that, but for now he is looking for the next customer.

Pointing to these children from the fortturned- guesthouse that he runs, Sanjay, 26, says the city is teaching these children the vice of easy money. "It's teaching them to seek outside, not inside. Some pick up habits like smoking, and become bad role models for other children around them. But they are poor..."

English-medium schools are too expensive for them and the government schools don't have enough teachers, says Sanjay. Ashok Kumar Verma, a guide working here for the last 20 years, says there's no monitoring agency to counsel these children or their families. Kailash, a boatman, says 75 per cent of children working in the ghats don't go to school. "They see money when young and then it is difficult to get out of its lure," he says. Kailash is up at 4 a.m. and works until very late at night. He has made sure his children do not work here, and wants them to study and get "a good job". For the others, there is little choice. "See you tomorrow," says Jothi, flashing a smile. "I will be here."