'Indians should have no fear that their girl child will be sexually harassed'

Kailash Sathyarthi

Kailash Sathyarthi. Pic/ AFP

mid-day caught up with Nobel Prize winner and Indian children's rights and activist against child labour Kailash Satyarthi as he shares his views and memories on Independence Day.

How will you celebrate India's 70th Independence Day?

Basically, the same routine which I have been following for the last few years. In fact I follow the same routine on Republic Day and on my birthday. I play, I spend time with my children in three Ashrams ie Mukti Ashram in Delhi, Balika Ashram and Bal Ashram. The last two Ashrams are on the way to Jaipur. I plan it in such a fashion that I can visit all three Ashrams on the same day.

Would you call the 70th Independence Day a milestone?
Of course it is a milestone because India has made remarkable progress in the last 70 years although we have not achieved everything. The safety of a child, the educational, social and the economical safety of children in our country need to be looked after. There are about one million children in our country who spend nights on pavements. Most of them go to bed without food for many days.

Do you find the same enthusiasm to celebrate August 15?
Yes I do. It's a great day. People like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh had to sacrifice their lives for our freedom. We do remember them on this particular day. People should remember that they gave their sweat and blood for our independence. We should all feel proud that we were born in a country which brought freedom by her brave children. But I must say that the dream has not completely been fulfilled. Our countrymen are still fighting for complete freedom. We all have to fight gradually in our own way.

What do you tell the underprivileged children about Independence Day?
Please don't forget that my children in the Ashrams are away from their parents for a long time. My wife Sumedha and I try to tell them the meaning of life and while we tell them this, we try and play with them. We also keep in mind that they do not lose their simplicity. They have to be briefed about the values of helping each other and in the process, we talk about the life of freedom fighters who gave their life for our independence. We tell them about life before independence and post August 15, 1947.

Q: What does Independence Day mean to you?
Theoretically, independence means freedom to speak, freedom to dream and freedom to aspire. It has to be realised that independent countrymen will have to enjoy freedom only by discipline and looking after the common people who do not have food, shelter, education and safety. Our countrymen should have no fear that their girl child will be sexually harassed. I am terribly upset to watch the growing problem. The people of India should be given a life which is free from fear.

A few jilebis, samosas, namkin, Police Parade in all the major cities, the PM's speech from the Red Fort... is that all for our Independence Day celebrations?
Jilebis and samosas are not bad. It's a ritual. Good to rejoice that we are born in a country which is independent now. We should not have discrimination about colour, cast and tribes to celebrate independence day. It should be followed not only on 15th of August but everyday in our life. We all should remember how we got freedom. Only then, we will be able to pay tribute to those souls who were tortured heavily by the police in various prisons of our country.

Can you propose a different kind of celebration for this particular day?
Everyone should try to pay the greatest tribute to our martyrs who gave their life for our country. People should have a joyful life without any tension and we all should plan to reach this goal.

What memories do you have of celebrating August 15 in your school days?
We enjoyed celebrating independence day like most school children today. One year I found a cobbler boy outside the school. I asked my teachers why this boy is not in the classroom. I was told that he would not be admitted because he is poor. I was really unhappy to get such an answer. I tried to meet his father and I succeeded once. I asked him the same question - as to why his son is not going to school. The father replied, "we are born to work and you are born to go to school." The perspective of life became clear when I heard this answer. My first reaction was, we are born to learn and the reply of the cobbler boy's father is still the inspiration and motivation of my life. I realised the structure of our society is such that everybody cannot go to school because of poverty. I started collecting money, books for drop-out children.

Another topic which arises on the eve of Independence day is whether Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose died in the plane crash or not. The topic gradually disappears from the morning of August 16th. Your comment..
He is one of my heroes. We must remember the way he fought. He is in my heart. His dream of a free India has yet to be achieved. There is some confusion, contradictions about his death. I don't find any reason to try to find out whether he is alive or not. He was a great soul who tried to unite our country. The devotion which we saw in his life is unparalleled.

Do you think awareness of child labour has increased after you won the Nobel Prize?
Of course it has. Google informed me that after the announcement of my Nobel Prize a huge amount of people decided to sacrifice small things to try and save many children from our society who had no direction of life. A good number of police people came forward in this campaign. The people from the judiciary became much more active.

Q: Did you discuss the matter of Independence Day with Malala, another Nobel Prize winner?
She is my beti (daughter). She was very young when she won the Nobel Prize. I did not discuss the ugly politics of our society. Now that she has grown up, I am sure she has matured a lot and will gradually discuss the intricacies of our hard life and its problems. She has also got a very strong mind. I am sure she will play a great role in doing some good things in our society.

Q: What's the message for your countrymen on the occasion of India's 70th Independence Day?
I am neither a leader, nor a priest. I am one of the ordinary people of India. I request my fellow Indians to break their silence. Please speak for a better India, safe India, fearless India. There should be no violence. We should try and trust people and increase the number of our friends everyday. The progress of our country is a continuous process and we all should come forward to take India to new heights. We should take such an oath on our Independence day.