One of the four girls we admitted to school is back with me -- for her Dasara vacations. She is 13, has come of age, and is just ripe to be married off before she gets “spoilt” or picks up a bad reputation.
Her grandmother is very anxious to get to work – marrying her off is top priority. She has visited the social worker/local guardian twice already. “Send her to my house for the vacations.” “I am old, I want my granddaughter to take care of me.” She threatened us (how dare you keep my grand child from me?), pleaded with us (I will die soon…), cried inconsolably for her grand daughter… All for the pleasure of marrying her off at 13!
The mother is also under enormous pressure. “Why aren’t you marrying her off? Are you going to keep her and pickle her?” she was asked, according to her own reports. “Yes, I will pickle her,” she claims to have replied.
The girl, G, has a story that is typical of many others. Father drunk. Has another family now. Her mother says she left her husband as he tried to kill the second girl when he was drunk; father says the wife walked out on him… Whatever the truth, G was put to work as a 6 year old – in a Seth house in Jayanagar. She took care of the child and also helped with washing dishes, etc. Mother says her aunt did it, i.e. G’s grand aunt. Then the mother found the child and rescued her, admitted both her daughters into a convent near coastal Karnataka.
From there, the story is fairly clear. The children stayed there, and attended school while the mother wandered for work. She has worked in a hostel as a cook, in a garment factory, in umpteen homes, etc. The girls stayed in the hostel for 4-5 years. Last April, the mother was asked to remove the younger daughter as she was “stupid”. The elder daughter, G, was labeled as bright.
She now wants to learn English and that's why she is with me. She has two teachers, who have been arguing about what is more important -- reading or comprehension. :)
Such a relief to worry about this, rather than the previous issue...
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