NGO initiative makes youngsters spend night with pavement dwellers

KOLKATA: Is the promise of social, economic and political justice made in the Constitution of India a mere pledge on paper that will remain unfulfilled? The query led a couple of city youngsters - working on an

NGO project

– to spend a day with pavement dwellers under the

Gariahat flyover

and another group work with locals in Kalighat, helping to turn a garbage dump into a flower garden.

The unique experiences have not only helped the youths connect with the marginalized, underprivileged sections of the city, but it spurred them to get two children – school-dropouts living on a pavement – admitted to a school.

The initiative by NGO Community the Youth Collective , was termed Samvidhan Live and sought to make youngsters ‘live the principles of justice and equality’ as laid down in the Constitution. City-based NGO Prantakatha – the Kolkata partner of the initiative – selected 12 peer groups to take part. They were made to venture into the marginalized settlements of the city – slums and pavements – to try and experience their deprivation and struggles.

“We spent an entire week interacting with those living under the Gariahat flyover and then spent a day with them. We shared meals with them, slept on the pavement and used the public toilets they have access to. It has had a cathartic effect on us. Perhaps nothing else would have made us realize that mere survival is a struggle for the vast majority of our people,” said twenty-two-year-old Sourav Majumdar who works for Prantakatha.

Winning the trust of the pavement dwellers wasn’t easy for Sourav and his peer partner Ankita Sengupta. It was more difficult pursuing them to allow their children to be sent to school. “Most kids living under the flyover sell incense sticks to augment their parents’ income. The latter can’t afford to forego the amount which they earn so they are not interested in sending them to school. We managed to convince them after hours of interaction,” said Ankita.

For 10-year-old Rupsha and 11-year-old Arifa, life has changed for the better. Thanks to the efforts of Sourav and Ankita, the pavement-girls are back to school. They still sell their wares under the flyover, but make it a point to attend school everyday.

At Kalighat, youngsters Saddam Sheikh and Tushar Saha converted a dumping arena into a garden. They got neighbours to join the effort and even secured the support of the local councilor. “It took us just two days to change the stinking junkyard into a pretty flower-bed. Once we went to the locals and sought their help, dozens came forward to help. They gave us shovels and brooms and joined hands in cleaning the area. Now, it’s hard to believe that the place would smell of trash and excreta even two weeks ago,” said Saddam.

Living on the pavement has changed the way she viewed life, said Ankita. “Every day, we walk past pavement-dwellers without even bothering to glance at their subhuman living conditions. Once we started visiting them, we realized how grueling their existence was. Most would shudder to even consider living in those conditions, but once we got to know them, it turned out to be a revealing experience,” felt Ankita.

Carrying out any daily chore is a challenge for those living under the flyover, they pointed out. “Something as easy and mundane as having a meal could be an ordeal. Every passing vehicle blows a blast of fume and dust into your plate. You’ve got to learn to cover your food from the soot. The same happens when you lie down to sleep. Unless you slip under a wrapper, you will be buried under layers of grime. The space under the flyover doubles up as a parking lot. So, you have got to be careful about cars,” said Sourav.

For the women on the pavement, life is harsher, pointed out Ankita. “They have no privacy and no access to public toilets after 10 pm. A nearby open drain serves as a makeshift one. And they are breathing in the poisonous fumes every minute,” she said.

The experience should egg them on to do something for the deprived communities, said Bappaditya Mukhopadyay of Prantakatha. “For the majority of our population, the Constitution is just a rule book which makes lofty promises and lays down ideals which we never really practice. This was an effort to practice what the Constitution preaches and a call to youngsters to strive to live up to the ideals which it stands for,” said Mukhopadhyay.