From Bondage to Self Sufficiency — Stories of Hope and Restoration
We had a special evening at Kissflow with rehabilitated bonded labourers turned entrepreneurs spending some time with us during our weekly All Hands (Good to Great). They make some beautiful handcrafted clothes and assorted items which were very reasonably priced too. We felt it would be a good opportunity for folks to encourage them by listening to their stories and also buying their products especially with Diwali around the corner.
This was not the first time that we had the amazing folks visit us, but each time they do, their stories never fail to move us. The fact that bonded labour (slavery would not be an inappropriate term to use) still exists and that too close to where we live in the heart of a metro is tough to wrap one’s head around. Hearing a survivor’s story of being born into bondage because of one wrong financial decision by her parents was heartbreaking — having to do manual back breaking labour morning till night, not being allowed to leave the premises, no access to doctors, education, relatives or any outsiders and with meagre food when available are not things one would want anyone to go through, let alone a child. The stigma among her community even after being rescued, a forced marriage at 13 were quite shocking to hear. I am sure there must have been much more trauma that she would’ve endured, beyond her ability to share.
To see her standing in front of a group of people in a corporate setting was so heartwarming, especially when she shared her pride in her children’s education and the hope that they would be able to help people in this plight. She was also very clear that her family was now the people with whom she was working to create products and be self sufficient.
There were 4 of them in all and what stood out for me was not just the confidence with which they carried themselves, but also the lack of bitterness and the “no asking for handouts” attitude — they were not expecting any special treatment, they had made products that were well designed, of good quality and they expected to earn their way through it.
What a contrast to the stories I hear almost daily (in person and on social media) and the attitudes I see around me, things I have been guilty of more often than I am comfortable with. This is not to make anyone feel guilty, that’s fleeting and self condemnation in itself is just a cop out. One of our core aims was to help them in practical ways by buying their products and now I am happy to see a few people come together to help with their marketing efforts — was it just a coincidence that we had our Marketing team in office that week?
The evening was a much needed wake up call to look outside my bubble more often, gain some much needed perspective and also recalibrate where my values really lie, ie are they primarily self serving or investing in looking out for others too.
She calls out to the man on the street
“Sir, can you help me?
It’s cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep
Is there somewhere you can tell me?”He walks on, doesn’t look back
He pretends he can’t hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be thereOh, think twice, ’cause it’s another day for you and me in paradise
She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she’s been crying
She’s got blisters on the soles of her feet
She can’t walk but she’s tryingOh, think twice, ’cause it’s another day for you and me in paradise
Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do?
Oh Lord, there must be something you can sayYou can tell from the lines on her face
You can see that she’s been there
Probably been moved on from every place
’Cause she didn’t fit in thereOh, think twice, ’cause it’s another day for you and me in paradise
Just think about it
