“As I gained admission into the school, I knew that I would have to do something worthwhile that can get me money as my parents are not financially buoyant to support all my needs academically,” said Esther Bako. Bako is a 100-level Psychology student at the Plateau State University (PLASU) Bokkos. She also decided that…
Thuthiya stitching face masks at her home in Gangadhara Nellore mandal in Chittoor district.
Once a bonder labourer, she now leads an association of survivors that reaches out to people in need
Thuthiya and her husband Kuppaiah Raghu knew they would regret their decision. But the couple had no option. Raghu’s mother was sick, and he needed money to pay the hospital bills. So the couple borrowed ₹30,000 from the owner of a brick kiln in Chittoor district and walked into a “debt bondage” at the kiln. This was in 2006.
Hard times
Life as bonded labourers was difficult.
“A day of rest or sickness meant abuses from the owner. We were sleep-deprived and stressed out, and it began to show on our health. After slogging from dawn to dusk, we were paid ₹50 per day and, at times, even this meagre sum was denied. Money was paid irregularly and the debt never reduced,” she recounts the trauma.