ObserverThe weekly

VOL 13 ISSUE 2A Thursday, September 5, 2013

A13-year-old girl wasraped by her uncle andis now six-months preg-

nant.Meera (name changed), a resi-

dent of Banaswadi, told police inher statement that she was sexuallyabused by her uncle Navaneeth. Sheis now in her second trimester of

pregnancy. She lived in a city slumwith her mother, father and her six-teen year old brother. Her father isa waiter in a local hotel while hermother makes chips for a living andis a domestic worker.

The girl’s uncle visited Meera’shouse under the pretext of return-ing money to her father, which hehad borrowed. Navaneeth lived

near a government school in Ulsoorwhere Meera studied in the eighthgrade.

In her statement to po-lice, Meera said her uncle had takenher to his house but after she beganshouting, he was forced to let hergo. After that, he visited her house

about three to four times, alwayswhen she was alone, and sexuallyabused her.

According to the First Infor-mation Report (FIR), the last timeshe was abused was on March 1when Navaneeth went to her housein the afternoon and asked her to‘sleep’ next to him. When she re-fused, the accused threatened her,

saying that he would slash hiswrists and blame her father in frontof the police or would kill her par-ents. He also said that he would killher by hanging her from a ceilingfan, before telling police she hadcommitted suicide. Meera told po-lice she was too frightened to sayanything to her parents.

Continued on page 4...

Raped by her ownuncle, pregnant at 13

Anannya Sarkar

BBusinessman bookedin bonded labor caseroams free

Meera, the 13-year-old girl raped by her uncle, attending a religious function in happier times

Page 3 Page 6

Beggars back onroad after year’straining at Beggars Colony

Chitra Arvindspeaks to TheWeekly Observer

Page 5

Meera’s mother Nita, recounting her daughter’s horrific story

Exclusive

The Weekly Observer Thursday, September 5, 2013 2

Cyber cafes pose security threat to B’ loreCyber cafes in the city are com-pletely ignoring the InformationTechnology Act.Most cyber cafes in the city do nothave details or maintain logs ofcustomers using the internet. Acheck conducted in the cityshowed that out of 10 cyber cafesonly two maintained logs andasked for identity proof.Police in the city have been plan-ning for terror attacks and carry-ing out emergency drills.But in a glaring security lapse,cafes do not take pictures of cus-tomers, which is compulsory ac-cording to the rule.

The owner of an internet café inKoramangala said; “I have nevermaintained a record. I can judgeby seeing a person’s face if they are good or not.”Jeetendra Singh, from the Depart-

ment of Information Technology,said: “It becomes impossible tofind out who was the person whoaccessed the content at that par-ticular time if there is no identifi-cation log maintained.”Both the departments agreed thatthis is a major threat for securityin Bangalore. D. Roopa , Superin-tendent of Cyber Crime Policesaid, “There is a threat to peopleas cases of people mis-using the

internet to defame someone areincreasing.” She added that withincreasing technological aware-ness among people, the crime rateis also increasing.In the context of recent terror at-tacks, this issue has increased in

importance. Yasin Bhatkal, origi-nally from Karnataka and the co-founder of the IndianMujahideen, a banned terror out-fit, was arrested recently. Bhatkalis a suspect in the Chinnaswamystadium blast in 2010.On June 20, letters were found inthe parking lot of the Indian SpaceResearch Organisation threateningterror attacks across Bangalore.Also, in November 2012, a threat-ening mail was sent to Jammufrom a hotel in Bangalore. When the Cyber Crime Depart-ment said that it is the function ofthe IT Department to implementthe law. D. Roopa, said: “Cybercafés have to be registered with the

IT department. It is also responsi-ble for making sure the logs aremaintained. The IT departmenthas the power to cancel the licenseof the owner but they are notdoing so. The cyber crime police’sjob is only to look into and solvecyber crime cases.”However, the IT department saysthat it is the job of the cyber policeto conduct checks and inform thedepartment of the matter. Jee-tendra Singh, said: “Cyber crimepolice will find out if the cybercafe is following the guidelines ornot. If the guidelines are violatedthey will inform the adjudicatingofficer under the IT department.Judicial cases would be registeredand the IT department only de-cides the fine that is supposed tobe paid.”

Eight-year-old girl rescuedfrom city railway stationAn eight-year-old girl, a victim ofchild trafficking, was rescuedfrom the city railway station in thefirst week of July.

Swati (name changed), who waskidnapped from Nagpur andbrought to Bangalore, was foundsitting inside the railway stationwith Mukesh, a 23-year-old broker.She was told that she would get agood job in the city.

Swati’s mother Anitha, who is acoolie by profession, also sold heryounger daughter to a broker, ac-cording to a report by Sathi, a Ban-galore-based NGO.

Swati was rescued by Shivkumar,a 21-year-old child rescuer workingfor Sathi, on July 4, 2013. Alongwith a member of the railway clean-ing staff, he went after Mukesh andcaught him. The broker was thenhanded over to the GovernmentRailway Police (GRP).

Shivkumar said: “I saw a man sit-ting with a young kid on platformnumber eight. Initially he wasstanding a few meters away fromthe little girl. The very moment Isaw them, I had intuitions that thechild is in trouble. On seeing mewalking towards the girl, Mukeshmoved away from her.” Taking helpof a female railway worker, he res-cued the girl.

He added: “Initially the girl saidthat Mukesh was her father. Afterassuring her that she will be safe,she finally admitted that she wasbrought to Bangalore forcefully.and that she was clueless about herfuture.”

Mukesh was then taken to Nagpurby a team of police from Maharash-tra. The girl is now living in theWomen and Child DevelopmentDepartment Correctional Institu-tional Complex in Bangalore.

The railway police station in Majes-tic failed to give any information onthe case while the NGO involvedconfirmed that they have filed acomplaint. The Deputy Superinten-dent of Police, GRP, was not avail-able for comment.

Coincidentally, this was not thefirst time Mukesh tried to jeopard-ize a child’s life. According to theNGO, an 11-year-old boy namedSunil (name changed) was kid-napped from Nagpur and wasbrought to Bangalore to be sold, atthe end of last year. He was rescuedby Shivkumar but unfortunately, onthat occasion, Mukesh managed toescape.

Ishan Bhattacharya

Two police stations in Bangaloreare violating human rights ofsuspects and detainees by mak-ing them lie on the floor outsidethe detention cell.

Police stations at Kalasipalyaand Chamrajpet are violating theNational Human Rights Commis-sion’s(NHRC) guidelines by mak-ing suspects sit and lie down onthe floor of the police stationrather than keeping them in thecell or offering them a seat.

One senior official of the Kar-nataka State Human Rights Com-mission has even suggested policeofficers who abuse prisonersshould be sent on “spiritual med-itation classes.”

According to the 1999 NHRC’sGuidelines on Polygraph Testsand Arrests which were issued tochief secretaries of all states andunion territories, ‘the dignity ofthe person being arrested shouldbe protected. Public display orparading of the person arrestedshould not be permitted at anycost.’

The Station House Officer(SHO) of Kalasipalya said that de-tainees had to sleep on the floordue to space constraints in thecell. Upon being told of anotherinstance of a man found sleepingon the floor, he said that the per-son was not a detainee but wascalled in for interrogation andwould be freed after that.

The SHO said that the policestation would be expanded sothat cell space would increase. Butaccording to an official in Kar-nataka State Police Housing Cor-poration Limited (KSHCL), no

requisition regarding this hasbeen received.

C.G. Hungund, member of theKarnataka State Human RightsCommission, while accepting it asa human rights violation, has de-clined to take any action. He said,“Unless you or someone else com-plains to the commission we can’ttake any action.”

When asked about his power totake action independently, asmentioned in the NationalHuman Rights Commission Act,Hungund added: “To take action

I have to get some authentic infor-mation from the media or like-wise”.

He said the justificaton of thepolice is wrong, “even if there isspace constraint one should have

the courtesy of offering a chair atleast to the person concerned.”

The ill-treatment of detaineesand prisoners by the police andthe prison administrationamounts to extra-judicial punish-ment in addition to their existingsentences.

Other suggestions includedmaking living conditions betterfor the police, especially at thecutting-edge level and institution-alizing some mechanisms for in-creasing people to policeinteractions.

Human rights violated atBangalore police stationsGaurav Kumar

Apurva Venkat

Shivkumar, the man who rescued Swati from Majestic

‘Initially the girl said thatMukesh was her father. After as-

suring her that she will be safe, shefinally admitted that she was boughtto Bangalore forcefully

Detainee sleeping on the floor next to the cell in KP Police Station

-Shivkumar

Places in Bangalore where the Infor-mation Technology Act is violated

The Weekly Observer Thursday, September 5, 2013 3Businessman booked in bonded labor case roams free

A businessman whose family kepta girl in captivity as a bonded la-borer has not yet been arrested.

Rishav Gupta and his wifeRuchika forced the girl to washclothes and dishes, clean the houserepeatedly and even give massagesto his elderly parents.

On July 14, the Praja RajakiyaVedike, a city based NGO, and theKuki Students Organisation of Ban-galore, rescued two Manipuri Kukigirls, Jennifer and Mary (nameschanged), who were being forciblyemployed as laborers.

The two girls, aged 19 years, lefttheir homes in May after they werepromised jobs as beauticians in thecity. They were promised a monthlysalary of Rs. 5000 along with freefood, accommodation and trainingin spoken English.

After reaching Bangalore, thegirls were taken to the residence ofa woman called Mala who in-formed them that they would haveto do domestic work as there wereno jobs left for beauticians in thecity. Following this, they weretaken to two houses in Ba-nashankari and JP Nagar respec-

tively.The owner of the house in Ba-

nashankari is Rishav Gupta, a citybased businessman connected withcommercial establishments calledKiara Bags and Renaissance Inter-national(which sells antiqueclocks). The shops are located inGopalan Innovation Mall in JPNagar and the Total Mall in Old

Airport Road. He lives with hiswife, Ruchika Gupta, his two chil-dren and his parents. The house inJP Nagar is owned by his father-in-law, MK Giridhar.

According to the statement ofJennifer, the girl who was forced to

work in Rishav Gupta’s house, shewas made to work from 6 am to 12am. She said: “It was back-breakingwork. I was made to wash clothes,wash dishes, clean and wipe thehouse several times a day, as andwhen they demanded. I was unableto bear the abuse and torture.”

After a lot of difficulty one ofthe girls managed to contact herparents and informed them of thesituation. Following this a com-plaint was filed in the Moirang po-lice station against Nengkhochin .The Kuki Students Association wasalso informed of the situation afterwhich they contacted their studentbody in Bangalore.

Subsequently,the Praja RajakiyaVedike was informed about the sit-uation by the Kuki Students Organ-isation of Bangalore, after whichthey began to plan out the rescueoperation of the two girls.

After the rescue operation, aperson called Sanaulla was arrestedon August 22 by the Banashankaripolice and booked under theHuman Trafficking Act as well asthe Scheduled Castes and Sched-uled Tribes (Prevention of Atroci-ties) Act. According to the

statement of the girls, Sanaulla andhis wife Mala were paid Rs 20,000by Rishav Gupta and his family andcould not return home until thesum was paid back with interest.Manohar Elavarthi of the Praja Ra-jakiya Vedike alleged that Rishav

Gupta and Sanaulla appeared tohave been business associates for along time.Initially, only four people(Nengkhochin, Mala, Sanaulla andMala’s brother Sarath) were namedas accused in the case. It was laterthat the names of Rishav Gupta andhis family were added to the list. Inthe beginning, Gupta was bookedunder IPC sections 34, 420 and 342.

It was only after the Praja Ra-jakiya Vedike , along with otherhuman rights and Dalit groups, ex-erted pressure on the police thatthey booked Gupta under the anti-trafficking sections of the IPC, theBonded Labor System (Abolition)Act and the SC/ST (Prevention ofAtrocities) Act.

However, according toManohar Elavarthi of the PRV, de-spite the fact that Rishav Gupta waspresent in the police station forquestioning on August 21 and hadhis name on the list of accusedalong with Sanaulla, he was not ar-rested. He also raised questionsabout the names of Rishav Guptaand his family missing from theFIR.

BT Venkatesh , a senior advo-cate and human rights activist who

has been handling the case on be-half of the PRV, states that no realeffort has been made on the part ofthe police to arrest Rishav Guptadespite the long list of offences thathe has been charged with. Further-more, under the SC/ST(Prevention

of Atrocities) Act, any public ser-vant who neglects duties which arerequired to be performed underthis Act is liable to face prosecution.

Elavarthi added that there ex-ists the need for a better security in-frastructure with regard to theprotection of migrant laborers.The PRV, he said, had provided allinformation regarding the case tothe police by August 1. However,the police filed an FIR only on Au-gust 17.

A senior member of the KukiStudents Organisation of Bangalorespoke about how the Manipuri

community in Bangalore suffersfrom the lack of a real collective

voice and said that the main reasonbehind this is the fact that the com-munity does not have any properpolitical representation.

Commenting on the delay inthe action taken by the police inthis particular case he said that theDeputy Commissioner of Police(South) had stated that the policewere informed about the incident,but since this information camefrom a third party they were unableto lodge a complaint.

Repeated attempts to contactRishav Gupta went unanswered.Rakesh, a former employee of Ren-aissance International stated that hehad read about the charges framedagainst Rishav Gupta but had noknowledge about his current status.George an employee at Kiara Bagsand Accessories located at theGopalan Innovation Mall, said thathis boss Rishav Gupta was presentlyin Hong Kong and would be re-turning soon.

BONDED LABOR

Bhaskar Dutta

Rishav Gupta, from whose house Jennifer (name changed) was rescued by the PRV on July 14, 2013.

Manohar Elavarthi from PRV

The following is a verbatimaccount of Jennifer’s experi-ences at the house of RishavGupta in Banashankari.

“It was a five bedroom bun-galow. There were six per-sons living in the house. A

husband and wife, two elderly per-sons and two children. I did notknow their language. They used toinform me in sign language.

For two days they were pleas-ant. From the third day theystarted making me work frommorning 6 am to night 11.30-12.00am. It was back breaking work.

The older persons startedshouting at me, for anything andeverything. I was to massage theolder persons several times a day. Iwas to wash clothes, wash dishes,clean and wipe the house severaltimes a day as and when they de-manded. I was unable to bear theabuse and torture.

I told the person in sign lan-guage that I wanted to return to myvillage. He threatened me and tookmy photographs and informed methat he would give it to the policeand the police would take me tojail. He said that he has paid Rs20,000 to Mala and her husband(Sanaulla). Until the said money ispaid with interest, I would not beallowed to go home. I had no op-tion other than to work.”

Kiara bags and accessories,Gopalan Innovation Mall

The Weekly Observer Thursday, September 5. 2013 4

Banned medicines still on sale in city

Medicines banned by the govern-ment are still being sold in thecity.In June this year, the governmentbanned three drugs. These were Pi-oglitazone (anti-diabetic), Analgin(painkiller) and Deanxit( anti-de-pressant). While the ban on Piogli-tazone was revoked,the ban onAnalgin and Deanxit still contin-

ues.On the 4th of this month, the

chemist at Jaya Medicals in Kum-balgodu sold the medicines to thereporter without asking for any pre-scription or reason for the pur-chase.

The other shops visited refusedto give the medicines either citinglack of stock or mentioning that thedrugs were banned. Hashir, a

chemist at the General Medicalstores at KPM Road and Jamalfrom Ceeyam medicals at N.R. roadsaid that they did not sell the med-icines as they were banned.

Dr. Bhushan from BGS Hospi-tal said, “The chemical compositionof the medicine is not good. It istoxic to the body”. He further addedthat it is difficult to pin-point side-effects of these drugs because their

use is very minimal.Analgin possesses analgesics

and can cause a sharp decrease inthe count of blood cells of the pa-tient if taken in higher quantities.

The drug has been banned inmany countries and was bannedunder Section 26A of the Drugsand Cosmetics Act, 1940 in India.The ban remains active on Analginand all its formulations for human

use.Deanxit on the other hand was

banned under the Drugs and Cos-metics Act 30-B which states thatthe sale of any drug, the use ofwhich is prohibited in the countryof origin, is banned in India untilclinical data proves it has no risks.Deanxit has been banned in Den-mark, its country of origin.

According to a press release bythe Union Ministry of Health andFamily Welfare dated August 13,2013, Analgin and all formulationscontaining Analgin are banned forhuman consumption. However,Vidya, a Bangalore-based chemist,said, “Analgin is not bannedwhereas Deanxit is. Only if the cus-tomer has a prescription we sell itto him or her.”

Nikita Narvekar

13-year-old girl raped by uncle and pregnantHer mother Nita(name

changed), on discovering Meerahad missed her menstrual cycleand noticing her nausea, took herto a local doctor for a diagnosis butwas sent home after being givenmedicine. Her pregnancy was laterconfirmed by a private hospital.

Her parents could not afford anabortion and Meera was, in July, al-ready five months pregnant. Afterher parents spoke to BangaloreOniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO),Meera was taken to Dr BR Ambed-kar Medical College and Hospitalon July 3, where she was confirmedpregnant and declared to be in hersecond trimester. The possibility ofan abortion was ruled out as itwould also pose serious complica-tions to her health.

A FIR was filed with the Ba-naswadi Police Station against Na-vaneeth on the same day. He wasarrested from his house that nightand was booked under the JuvenileJustice Act, 2000 (U/s-23, 27), Pro-tection of Children from Sexual Of-fences Act 2012 (U/s-3, 4) and IPC1860 (U/s-506,376).

T. Rangappa, Police Inspector,Banaswadi Police Station, com-menting on the case, said that theinvestigation was over and so thecharge sheet would be filed soon.

Jenifar Y, the BOSCO co-ordi-nator who counseled Meera, said:“Meera is a child herself and we donot know what will happen to thebaby when she gives birth. She wasvery innocent and did not knowwhat was happening to her. She justknew that she was feeling extremelyuneasy and was unable to walkproperly for days. We do not knowhow this incident will affect her lifelater on.”

Navaneeth is married with twochildren. According to Nita, hiswife initially threatened Meera’sfamily that if the case against herhusband was not withdrawn, shewould commit suicide and blame iton them. But after initial hesitation,Meera’s parents are now resolved toget justice.

Nita said with conviction: “Iwant strict punishment for Nava-neeth. I want him to rot in jail sothat he will not be able to do this toanyone else again.”

After the FIR was lodged,Meera was taken to the Children’sHome for Girls, Hosur Road, whereshe was kept for four days .She wasalso treated at the National Instituteof Mental Health and Neuroscience(NIMHANS) for trauma. TheChild Welfare Committee (CWC)reviewed the case and interviewedher on July 5.

Talking about such incidents,

Inspector Rangappa, said: “Withthe co-ordination of NGOs andyoungsters, we could try to go toevery area, conduct meetings tosensitize people. That way, we canchange the situation a little bit. Butthe mentality of such men cannotbe changed.”

Jenifar, while commenting onsuch cases said: “This is happeningbecause there is no serious punish-ment for the convicted and also dueto lack of awareness. Children areused like instruments and they donot understand the difference be-tween a good touch and a badtouch.”

Meera is now living in St.Michael’s Home, Indira Nagar,under the observation of the CWCand will continue to live there untilshe gives birth. The family has al-ready decided the baby will behanded over for adoption.

Her mother does not want thisincident to affect her life negativelyShe does not want this incident todeter her education and plans onchanging her school. She has al-ready decided on a new one whichwill be much closer to her house.

Nita said that though the newschool will be expensive for them,she is ready to bear the cost as shewants her daughter to become edu-cated and do well in life.

continued from page 1

Banned medicines, Analgin and Deanxit bought from shops Bill of Analgin and Deanxit purchased from Jaya Medicals shop

Excerpt from Meera’s statement to the police.

“My father is a waiter and mother sells chips. Mybrother used to study in my school. Navaneeth wasmy 'Chikkappa'(uncle). Last year my uncle visited

my house twice. Rajeshwari, my aunt, stays near IndiraNagar, Kadiranapalya. She asked me to visit her house.Navaneeth's house is also located there. I went to hishouse once.

This year after exams I did not go out of myhouse. In March, Navaneeth came to my house. I wasalone. He came near me and asked me to go to his houseso that he could give me a chocolate. I accepted and wenton a scooter to his house near Kadiranapalya. He un-dressed me but I was scared and dressed again. I wasafraid and so I shouted. I ran to Rajeshwari’s house buthe got me back from there by force. I left at 3pm. He saidhe would drop me back and he did.

After three days, Navaneeth came to my house at12pm. I was alone. He removed all my clothes and askedme to sleep beside him. When I refused, he said hewould kill my parents. He said he would kill me by hang-ing me from the ceiling fan and call it a suicide. He alsosaid that if I told anyone he would slash his wrists andblame me in front of the police. He started penetratingme and touched me. I screamed as it hurt.”

The Weekly Observer Thursday, September 5, 2013 5Beggars back on road after a year’s training at Beggar’s Colony

Robbed by their own children, seniorcitizens living rough on the tracks

Girls aged 13 and 14 put towork at construction site

Two minor girls were foundworking in a construction siteat Sanjaynagar.

The girls havre been workingthere for the past two months andclaim they started work after theirmothers fell ill.

The girls are helping to erecta private apartment for a localwoman. They travel from kengerito the site every day.

Sita, 13, said, “My mother,Shanthilata V. was working in theconstruction site but she is notfeeling well. So, I come in place ofher to do the work.”

Neema,14,said, “We are work-ing here since July and every daywe get Rs.200 and travelling ex-penses as we come from Kengeri.The employer knows that we areunderage girls but has never ques-tioned us about it.”

K.Ravinandan, the supervisorat the site, said, “I do not knowabout them so I am no way re-sponsible for this matter.”

A co-worker of the site,Venkatramanappa, said, “Two

women registered themselves forworking here in June and after fif-teen days they started sendingtheir daughters in place of them.Since then these girls are workinghere under the name of registeredemployees,.”

According to the Sanjaynagarpolice station, Ranganathan, thehead constable said: “We cannotgo to each and every site and in-spect them every day as Sanjayna-gar is a big area. So, until I havesomeone complaining about Icannot take any action.”

One of the two child labourer

Nibedita Mohanta

Beggars who attended a city train-ing program say they haven’t beenrehabilitated and are forced to begagain.Beggars have said that the training

programs provided to them by theBruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pa-like (BBMP),are ineffective andthey are forced to resume begging.

Nirashrithara Parihara Kendra(NPK) is responsible for trainingthe beggars. They are taught how tomake coir and candles and paid justRs5 a day.. The State’s legal mini-mum wage is Rs 150.

Sudershan, a beggar, said, “Thetraining provided by NPK does notimprove our living standards in anyway. We are not able to find a joband compelled to beg.”

Pilla Reddy, Assistant Agricul-tural Officer, NPK, said: “The NPKcomes under the BBMP. ‘ 10-15crores is transferred to the BeggaryFund from the tax collected by theBBMP.”

Santosh Nargund, an activistworking for Rashtrotthan Sankalp,said: “There is almost Rs. 30 croresof deficits every year. Around 220local bodies and even the panchay-ats, who are supposed to collect tax,do not transfer the amount to theBeggary Fund.”

Santosh added that such viola-tions have been taking place for thelast 30 years. He said that he filed anRTI, seeking information on “beg-gary cessation collection and trans-fer to central relief fund” but didn’tget any response from the BBMP.

Commenting on rehabilitation,M. Venkatachalapathy, DeputyCommissioner, BBMP, said that themunicipal body was trying its bestto rehabilitate the beggars and assistthem in fending for themselves. Hesaid: “We have an employmenttraining division inside the NPK. Attimes we inculcate them into pri-vate units as well.”

Chandrashekhar, who is re-sponsible for running the employ-

ment training division of NPK, saidthat he recruited the beggars intohis own private company, OSV Re-tail Pvt. Ltd., which has branches inKochi and Chennai.

However, on any given day,close to 100 beggars gather outsidethe Infant Jesus Chapel, begging fora livelihood. Father Justin, whoworks at the chapel, said, “We pro-vide them with money and foodand at times we ask them to workfor the church.” The training pro-gram conducted by NPK consists of856 beggars who are given voca-tional training in trades like car-pentry, tailoring, blacksmithing,book-binding, horticulture andagriculture. Each of the inmates getpaid Rs. 5 a day as wages for the du-ration of the training program.

Santosh Nargund said, “Theymake utilities like paper folders, en-velopes, cleaning fluids and mats,which are consumed by variousgovernment offices, distributedthrough Mysore Sales International

Limited, which is a Government ofIndia enterprise.”

He added, some of the market-ing is done by a few NGO’s. Theturnover, he said, was not morethan a few thousand rupees andgoes to the Central Relief Center..

According to Rajanaik, Secre-tary, NPK, the revenue from salesof these products is significantlyhigher and turns to six figures.

Nargund, commenting on theappropriate wages for inmates, said:“It is difficult to cite an amount thatinmates should receive but five ru-pees is definitely not enough,though mentioned in the Kar-

nataka Prohibition of BeggariesAct. At the same time the law itselfviolates the Minimum Wages Act ofKarnataka.”

Rajanaik says NPK realized thatthe current wages weren’t enough,made a recommendation lastMarch to the BBMP which said thatthe wages should be hiked to Rs. 20for a day’s work. However, headded, the committee has not con-ducted a single meeting regardingthis issue or addressed it in any way.Mala, a beggar, said that the salarythey receive – approximately Rs.1500 for a year’s work - doesn’t help.

Aurosmita Acharaya

The Majestic Railway station hasbecome home to many senior cit-izens who have been abandonedby their families.

Lalithamma, 65, a senior citizenfrom Bhadravathi who has been liv-ing at the Majestic railway stationdoesn’t remember how long shehas been there. She said: “My hus-band left me at the station and Idon’t know where he is now. I havea son and he doesn’t know where Iam.” She added: “If there is anyonewho can help me, I will be happy.”

A Police official said: “We don’tallow these people inside the rail-way station. If we find them beg-ging, we send them to the Beggar’sColony. If they require medical aid,we send them to a nearby hospitalWe have become strict with ourrules.”

Another senior citizen namedRamaiah, who believes he is around70, has been staying at the stationfor the last two days. He has hurthis leg and is unable to walk. Hesaid, “I phoned my son on Tuesdayand told him to come to the station,but he hasn’t yet come.”

Ramaiah, now retired, hasworked at the canteen in IndianTelephone Industries Limited, Ben-galuru, for more than 30 years. Hesaid: “I have two sons and theydon’t care about me. I have enoughwealth but my sons have cheatedme/”

He also said: “There is nobodyto help people like us. All the or-ganizations that say they will helpus say so for the sake of it,” and thenhe added, “If the organizations areready to help then well and good.”

There was another old manwho looked fragile and was unableto talk. Ramaiah said, “He is unwell.It looks like he will not live forlong.”

Thippesawamy, 40, a shop-

keeper said: “The senior citizens arefound at the station between 10 pmand 6 am. Some of them come tothe station to sleep and beg duringthe daytime, while others resideright outside the station.”

Anjunakare, 60 from MysoreTaluk came to the city to work as acarpenter. He said: “My wife andchildren beat me up because I con-sume alcohol and stopped givingmoney at home. I have to fend formyself now.”

A Railway official said, “Therewere a lot of old aged beggars at therailway station few months back,but now the Railway Police Forcehave become strict about it. It israre to find them at the stationnowadays.”

Mayuri J. Ravi

The beggars detained at the Beggar’s Colony, Magadi Road

Abandoned senior citizens living at the Majestic Railway Station

The Weekly Observer Thursday, September 5, 2013 6English preferred over Kannada-medium schools

The recent implementation of theRight to Education Act has addedto the woes of Kannada-mediumschools in Kaval Byrasandra.

Government schools of KavalByrasandra have been strugglingwith the falling count in the num-ber of students after several privateschools came up in the last decade.According to Divya, teacher atGandhi Smaraka Higher PrimarySchool, even after giving a lot of in-centives like free books, uniformsand food, only the labor class sendstheir children to study in govern-ment schools.

The RTE Act states that 25% ofseats will be reserved in unaidedschools for ‘Economically WeakerSections’ of the society. In 2011,there were 11 Kannada-mediumschools and 46 English-mediumschools in Kaval Byrasandra. In2012, the number of Englishschools has increased to 50 and thenumber of Kannada schools re-

mains the same. Most of theschools are up to class X with ap-parent dwindling of studentstrength.

According to J. M. Joshi, assis-tant master of the same school,things have been more difficultsince past two years, after the im-plementation of RTE Act. “At thetime of admission, we have to go tothe parents in the locality and per-suade them to send their childrento school. The school is runningsince 1965 and has teachers withmore than 25 years of experience,still promotion is necessary becauseof the competition.”

On the other hand, N.Jayasimha, Project Coordinator,Department of Public Instruction,said that some Kannada-mediumschools provide only oral assuranceof teaching english. ‘I think the par-ents have no other choice.” But hestill believes that education in thelocal language would do well to thesociety.

Sangeetha, whose three-year-old son goes to private NavbharatSchool, said, “We never went toschool so I always wanted to sendmy son to a private school to get

good education.” Fouzia Banu, headmistress,

Government High School, thinksthat the main problem is lack ofawareness. “Whoever is even a littlebit above the poverty line will wantto spend their money on a privateschool without knowing that wehave much better facilities.” Shesaid that government schools havebetter equipped laboratories; com-puters and all the teachers are dou-ble graduates. In 2008, the strengthof the school was 500, now it is 240.

“Parents come and ask if theirchildren will get jobs in the Kar-nataka Government after studyingin our school,” said Banu. Sheadded that for the teachers the pay

is good but there is no job satisfac-tion.

Another government school,Shyamapura, has only 150 children.There is competition with privateschools like Poorna Smriti andSaubhagaya School. Jyotila, class IX,Jnaneshwari High School, said thatthe teachers are good but some-times it is difficult to understandScience and Social Studies in Kan-nada. The school has 50 students atpresent.

Nagasingha, Director Child’sRight Trust, said, “There are 78%Kannada schools in Karnataka onpaper but most among them teachin English to garner more admis-sions.”

Bhavika Bhuwalka

EDUCATION

Students of Gandhi Smarka Primary School studying on the streets.

Observer TeamReporter –AurosmitaAcharyaNews Editors–GauravKumar, Anannya Sarkar,Apurva VenkatChief Sub Editor–NikitaNarvekarPicture Editor– NibeditaMohanta, Mayuri J. RaviDesign Desk– Ishan Bhat-tacharya, Karishma Ravin-dranSub Editors– Anagha Sawant,Anand Jain, Neha SinghProof Readers– BhaskarDutta, Pranay Lakshminar-simhan Editor– Bhavika Bhuwalka

Email– editor@iijnm.orgAn IIJNM Publication(For Private Circulation)

ARTS & CULTURE

“It might be a profession for some, but for us, it is a need” - Chitra Arvind

‘Chalana - Dance for a Cause’ is abiennial Classical and Contempo-rary dance festival organized bythe Rhythmotion CharitableTrust which helps the Deaf AidSociety. This year, the event willbe held on September 27, in Al-liance Française de Bangalore at6:30 pm .The money will be do-nated to the students of the SheilaKothavala Institute for the Deaf,Bengaluru.

Following is an excerpt fromChitra Arvind, the director ofthe organization.

What does Chalana plan to dothis time?The program includesBharatanatyam, Kathak and Con-temporary dance forms by Rhyth-motion. The themes will include

mythology portraying narrativesof Krishna, Ganesha and Shivaand that of contemporary Ben-galuru. The students who havecompleted the Rythmotion Con-temporary Certificate DanceCourse Level 1 will also perform.

Who is the guest of honor forthe festival?

Every time, we invite a very sen-ior dance exponent. This year,Guru Smt. Usha Venkateshwaran,Founder Director of Natyalak-shana dance academy has con-sented to grace the occasion andshe will be distributing certificatesto all those who have completedRhythmotion Level 1.

For how long have you beenworking towards this cause?Chalana premiered in 2008. Someof my senior students and I train

the hearing impaired of the SheilaKothavala Institute for the Deaf indance on a regular basis. Theyhave performed at various plat-forms including the Raj Bhavanand Palace Grounds.

How many tickets are you hop-ing to sell?

We are hoping for a house full.We will start selling the ticketsfrom next week

How did you come up with thisidea of fusion?

It might be a profession for someand an art for many. But for us, it’sa need, a need to provide deliver-ance to hundreds of human emo-tions and transcend from thechaos surrounding us. It’s the waywe relate with people and seekbeauty in creation. For us, dance

is a manifestation of serenity anddivinity. It’s our belief that dancecan shape their destinies, whenthey are brought together. It’s alsoour intention to give the audiencea glimpse into our spell bindingjourney and introduce enthusiaststo new possibilities.

Aurosmita Acharya

Chitra Arvind, the Director.

Blurred Boundaries,photography exhibitionby Focus BangaloreVenue: Venkatappa Gallery, Kas-turba RoadDate & Time: September 14, 4pm until September 17 , 7 pm

Kaaga TalesVenue: Ranga Shankara, J.PNagar Date: September 14 and Sep-tember 15Time: 10:30 am onwardsTickets: Rs z 100

Ganesha Habba, Mon 9 Sept

THEATRE

Unplugged Music Cam-poutVenue: Bamboo Rustles Camp,Virajpet.Date & Time: September 14,12 pm to September 15, 12 pm.

MUSIC