GURGAON: When Shyam Babu came to Gurgaon eight years ago, he had big dreams in his mind for his son after he enrolled him in a school here with a hope that he will not become a labourer like him when he grows up.
Babu’s dreams came crashing down after he had to leave the city due to the fear of starvation amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.
Struggling to make ends meet in the last two months, Babu has decided to move back home to his village to ensure survival. As he reminisces about the time he moved to Gurgaon in search of work and ultimately got his son admitted to a school here, his eight-year-old son Neeraj is reluctant to leave and pleads his father that he will stay back and go to school when it reopens.
He fears that there may not be any coming back to Gurgaon and he will have to study in a village school from now.
“I have been in Gurgaon for eight years now. I have worked as a labourer at different construction sites. I always wanted my son to study in a ‘bade sheher ka school’ (big-city school) since those in villages are not that good. Neeraj got admission in a government school here. His fees and meals were taken care of and we were happy that he will get a good education and will not have to work as a labourer when he grows up,” Shyam Babu told PTI.
“There is no work now, the room where we were staying. We had to vacate it after April as we could not pay the rent. Pending wages have not been paid too. Have been waiting for our chance to come for train travel. Neeraj wanted to stay back so he can resume school when it reopens but how can we leave him here alone?” he added.
Unhappy about visiting his village suddenly with all their belongings, Neeraj said, “I like the school here. I wish I am able to come back and the situation turns normal soon. If they will let my father build houses, I will get to come here too.”
Tirath Kumar, a rickshaw puller, says in his village in Bihar’s Sheikhpura district a big-city school is a sought-after thing.
“A rickshaw puller can work anywhere, but we chose to do it in a big city so that our kids get to study there. It is a very sought-after thing there if your kids study in ‘bade sheher ka school’. We have the same government schools there also but teaching is good in city schools,” he said.
“I like when my daughter talks in English fluently. She is smarter in Maths too than her village friends. I will come back after a few months and see if we can again move here and will be able to survive. If yes, I will get my family here else my daughter will have to study there only. Her education here is not expensive to manage as anganwadi centres help too but what will we eat, where will we stay?” Kumar added. Both Kumar and Babu’s families left for their village on a ‘Shramik Special’ train earlier this week, among hundreds of migrant labourers who were victims of reverse migration after being out of work due to the lockdown.
Diwan Raj, who worked with a catering firm here, said, “My son’s school here is very good. They also sent sanitiser and masks for the whole family and the teacher explained to us on phone about coronavirus and precautions everyone needs to take. You don’t get all this in village schools. Children then struggle when they grow up.”
“I wish I could do something to keep things as they were. I also waited for two months hoping that the situation will turn normal but we have exhausted our savings too now. Though the lockdown has been eased to some extent still there is no work, so we will now have to go back. There is no other option. We can live anywhere, we don’t mind but my son’s education will not be the same, I am more worried about this,” Raj added.
His son, Brij Kumar, who studies in class 8 said, “First, I had no hopes of studying in a city school and then I had no hopes that this will end this way.” (PTI)
