This story starts from the slum where I teach, which I mentioned in my previous article on IDP (internally displaced persons).
Today, I will take you more closer to them.
We have a student named Sandeep in our class, a slim 10-year-boy without slippers on his feet, he wears unwashed pants that are too short for his height and hang loose on his waist and a t-shirt which also struggles to fit on Sandeep’s body. All this along with a smiling face shining with hope. He lost his father, and now, he lives with his mother and two elder brothers.
His brothers work as cobblers at Sindhi camp (Jaipur bus-stand), and his mother begs at the same spot. Somehow all of them together earn around ₹300–350 per day (₹9000 per month and a total of ₹27,000 approx. for the whole family).
They don’t have house, they don’t take a proper diet and often drink paua (desi liquor).
Why are they living in this condition despite such income? I asked this question to Sandeep’s brother Sawan, and he answered,
“We do lottery!”
Lottery?
“Yes lottery to pay our debt!”
Debt?
“Yes debt.”
Now, I will tell you about these two words in their life.
Debt
A boy in their community marries at a very young age, and for that, he has to pay money (around 2– 2.5 lakh rupees) to the girl’s parents to take her with him (same as dowry, but the flow of money is in the opposite direction). That, too, is not secured because if some other guy pays more money than the first husband to the girl’s parents then that girl moves to the house of a new husband. This is their debt.
Lottery
Their family members and close relatives play lottery in which every one contributes some amount of money (Sandeep’s family contributes ₹500 per day) for 6–7 months (as per the condition). After contributing ₹500 to the lottery fund, Sandeep’s family is left with ₹400, out of which they purchase shoe polish and other materials for their work, which costs them ₹100 and the rest is spent on food (mostly they buy alcohol with this money). Hence, the family of four family is left without shelter and clothing.
Then comes the time for the lottery results. They make a name slip for each participant, and one of them wins after random trials and takes the whole money and pays his debt and then bring his wife to his house. Now, the winner’s name will be removed from the list for the next time. But still, he will contribute to that fund. Next time, there will be new winner from the remaining names.
I don’t know what we should call this organised cycle which is created by them. But this is the dark reality of poverty of many people around us.
I was clueless and speechless in front of Sawan, but somehow I asked him that what if I plan for your expenditure and your debt so that you can get all necessities fulfilled by your own money, he replied nahi sir hum lottery band nahi karenge !
I know this is hard to believe but all the informations in this article are correct, if you to can’t believe this then contact me I will show you this in Jaipur. And I am sure this is not confined to Jaipur because they all are outsiders.