Victory day, which falls on December 16, is a day of joy and celebration for all Bangladeshis. The country finally got rid of the rapacious Pakistani regime on this grand day in 1971.
The pictures of the Pakistani generals surrendering en masse in Dhaka will remain etched in every Bangladeshi’s heart.
On that day, people come out onto the streets, roam about with friends, go to musical soirees, attend congregations, and sing the national anthem with gusto. But some people use the day for ostentatious displays of patriotism, cheapening the occasion in the process.
I need to take mandatory walks for health-related reasons every day, and this December 16 was no different. On the auspicious day this year, I was doing what I do every day when I sat down to have a refreshing cup of tea at a roadside tea stall, watching streams of people making a day of it. It was then that I noticed the boy, about 15 years of age, who was in charge of the stall.
He was minding the stall while his uncle, the man who owns the store, was relaxing on a stool on this day of unexpected leisure. The boy was serving the tea, and doing all the washing and cleaning.
Every once in a while, he looked up from his chores and looked at the boys and girls of his own age having a fun-filled day. He had a forlorn look.
The question that arises from this tableau: Is a grave injustice being done to him?
Human rights defenders would ask exactly that question. He deserves a proper childhood, he should have a carefree life of school and sports and not worry about food, shelter, etc.
I would say the people working for human rights fail to appreciate what it means in the context of Bangladesh, an overpopulated country that has scant social security and parents unable to provide for their children.
This boy, most likely, had very little education which will make him unsuitable for any job of substance in the future.
So, it is reasonably justifiable that he works at a tea stall and stays out of mischief. At least he will have some means to contribute to his own and his family’s well-being.
The day when the state or his parents will be able to provide for him till he enters adulthood is still far. The state, however, is steadily trying to provide him with some basic education.
The alternate scenario would be that his parents provide for him in spite of their severe poverty, a course of action that would deprive their other children and immerse them into debt.
There is no guarantee, in that case, that the boy would become a goody-two-shoes and stay at home, study, and avoid bad company.
More often than not, one would find him neglecting his studies, exhibiting arrogance because of his apparent good fortune, becoming chummy with other fallen kids, and eventually entering an immoral path.
He would first become a lackey to the local goons. With time, he may meet the political functionary for whom the local goons work.
He might become a goon himself, get tasked with creating havoc during hartals, hurling bombs, setting fire to vehicles, joining pitched battles with the police. In time, he would become the right-hand of a big political leader or that of a member of parliament (MP) or even a minister.
He would then get a bite of the sweet fruit of corruption and would be blessed by the MP to hijack work orders from genuine contractors and to steal money from public sector projects with little or no work done.
If he survives this baptism into “politics,” he would aspire to become an MP himself. To fulfil that ambition, he would have to go through a series of unscrupulous activities, bloodletting even. One day he could become an MP or even a minister himself.
The cabinet would have an uneducated hoodlum to take care of a given ministry, and in parliament, he will be expected to participate in the enactment of laws. These jobs will always be too befuddling for him, and he would look to make the most out of a bad situation.
And so, he would venture on a newer series of corrupt acts, which includes murder and the dismantling of society. This would ensure that the vicious circle engulfing this country remains intact.
So, I say that if the state and families are unable to make citizens with high moral values, let the boys work jobs that will not kill them. Some jobs do kill kids, like those in foundries, ship-breaking yards, sweatshops, etc.
Those life-sapping jobs are also under the radar of human rights groups, and rightly so. Any workplace abuse should also be monitored diligently.
From this mass of working boys and girls, we will surely get small-scale entrepreneurs who, one day, will open their own shops, workshops, or factories even, instead of making acts of robbery, stealing, and extortion their business.
