CHENNAI: They got cheated by their employer, who refused to pay up the money he owed them for four months of backbreaking labour. They got beaten up by policemen, and were asked to go back where they came from. But none of these have broken the spirits of Dileep Kumar and Ram Kumar. After cycling 500 km — from Erode to Chennai — they are now stranded without a way forward to get home.
Hailing from Muzafarpur district, the duo came to Erode in hope of building up a better life. Despite being paid irregularly, they continued to work at a company in the industrial town. Then came the lockdown. “Whenever we demanded our pending salaries of four months, the company owner used to give us some vague excuses. After the lockdown started, we were not even given enough rations. Around 10 days back, the owner told us that he would make the full salary settlement once we vacated our rooms,” said Dileep.
The duo lost their shelter, and their owner did not pay up. Finding no more reasons to stay, the duo decided to return home. But, going back was almost impossible due to nationwide ban on road and rail transport. Scrambling their savings, the duo managed to get two cycles and started a long and uncertain ride. Passing small villages and big towns, they travelled all the way to Chennai.
All they had were some soiled currency notes and coins, but thanks to good samaritans on the way — who provided food and water — they managed to pedal on till Chennai. Their hopes crashed when the police stopped them at the NH-16 border. “Police thrashed us and asked us to go back to where we came from. Do they know how much we struggled to reach here?” lamented Ram while sitting outside a restaurant near Gummidipoondi. For now, Dileep and Ram are stuck in an unknown land with unknown language.
Not a ‘minor’ task
For their physique, Munshi and Kunthan could be easily mistaken for school-going kids. To escape the clutches of poverty, the duo, both belonging to Sakrauli village in Vaishali district of Bihar, came to Tamil Nadu in January. Munshi worked as a janitor at a local office in Tiruvallur for a sum of Rs 7,000 while Kunthan worked as a load man earning Rs 11,000.
On the cusp of childhood and youth, Munshi had bruise marks on his face, which he claimed was the result of a fall while fetching water. The boys are part of a group of around 40 migrant workers who are currently stuck near Ponneri.
Keeping stomachs full
Two local volunteers, Karupuvelu Raja and Thamarai Somu, said they have come across several child labourers among those walking out. “The best we can do is ensure they don’t go hungry.”
A touch of earth
Walking barefoot, holding a pair of shoes and a water bottle, Santhosh Gupta from Uttar Pradesh says the heavy shoes are hampering his progress. Trying to forget the heat of tar, Santhosh says he has only one target: Home
Unknown future
Even getting thrashed by police has not broken the spirits of Dileep Kumar and Ram Kumar. They have cycled 500 kms — from Erode to Chennai. For now,
Dileep and Ram are stuck in an unknown land with unknown language