Madhesi labors struggling against threats to earn

KHAIRENI, CHITWAN, Oct 31: Upendra Mahato of Sarlahi district could not celebrate Dashain festival as expected. He had no money to buy new clothes and other stuffs for his kids and wife. Agitation in Madhes, which includes his district, is going on since nearly three months now.

Mahato, a daily wage earner, is extremely worried that Deepawali and Chhat, which are considered more 'expensive' festivals in the locality, are around the corner and that he has no earnings so far. To earn, Mahato, like many others, has traveled to Chitwan in search of work.

"There is no work in our place. There's only strike. There's no food at home to eat. It is harvesting season here, we can make some money. But protestors don't want us to work for others," said Mahato. He added that residents of Saptari, Siraha, Rautahat, Rajbiraj, Bara and Parsa, were deprived from celebrating Dashain this year. "The agitation dashed off my family's Dashain and it seems like now they will not even pave way for poor laborers like us to earn for daily needs," Mahato said while hoping that he will be able to earn some for his family in Chitwan to save them from starvation during the Tihar and Chhat festivals. Somewhere in the corner of his heart he also thinks that things will ease during these upcoming festivals which are considered as major festivals in Madhes. "However, we need money in hand to keep family happy."

Chitwan is not in grip of agitation like Mahato's district. Life looks normal here. But the agitation has certainly affected the agriculture in Chitwan, says Tulasi Upreti, a local farmer. "This time we are harvesting the paddy late. Due to the strike in Madhes, these people could not come here on time, and finding labors in Chitwan is very hard. Even now they have to make a perilous journey through to reach here," Upreti said, who has hired Mahato, among others for the harvesting his crops.

Earlier, labors would come to Upreti without calling them. This time, he had to plead them a lot. "They were not willing to come though they were in need of work. But I made too many calls and called Mahato's team. Or else, the entire paddy could not be harvested," Upreti said.

Half a dozen of labors get busy collecting paddy in his field these days. Upreti is thankful that he could prevent the loss. However, he is not sure whether the labors from Madhes would continue working in his fields till needed. "They told me that the protestors have warned them not to offer their labor. They might stop working anytime if they are threatened by the agitators," said Upreti.

Due to the protests, the wage rate has gone high by fifty percent. And even after paying such steep prices, it's been very hard to keep and retain labors. "It's very challenging to retain laborers as others in the locality hire them by offering greater prices than they have been offered by their existing employer," Upreti said adding that "if I don't see them working for some time, I fear if they have been called back by protestors or have been hired by someone," Upreti said.

Mahato, who was listening carefully to Upreti stated that he is not at all happy about the agitation in Madhes. According to him, life of the poor people like him is never going to be any better no matter who comes to power. "What the leaders are doing is for their vested interest. Hard labor is the only way to keep our family alive and the leader are not letting us even do that," he lamented. "What will I get from protest? Will they feed me and my family?" he fumed.

Mahato said that he needs around Rs 50,000 to celebrate Deepwali and Chhat. He has eight member family and the demands cannot be compromised during the great festivals, he said. "I have come here to earn money with great difficulty. I had to walk 36 kilometer from my village to reach Rautahat. Got a bus from Chandranigahapur, and that was not easy either," he reported. Mahato and his friend Bishwonath Yadav, paid four times more bus fare to reach Chitwan.

"Most of the people in my village are poor. We need to work extra hours to make money for festivals. There's no use of protests for people like us," added Yadav.

Due to the agitation against the new constitution life has come to a complete halt in Yadav and Mahato's district. Daily wage earners like them have no work in hand. In addition, they are given pressure to join the agitation, said Yadav.

Yadav's 10 member team has been working in Ratha Pathak's field for a week now. Pathak, resident of Kumroj said that the labors are making money for Chhat. "Thank god, they came for help. They need money for their festival and we need labors for harvesting paddy."