Kathputli Nagar

 

Kathputli Nagar

            While living in New Delhi once I was assigned to do a photo story on the jugglers, so accordingly I and one of my reporter colleague explored a densely populated area  called ‘Kathputli Nagar’ which was settled in the heart of the city. The area was just about 7-8 Kms away from our offices, so we went there but the people of that area firstly seeing us didn’t welcome and treated us as outsider and intruder. But after many persuasions some of the likeminded persons opened up and allowed us to cover their stories.

            So as the story goes they all were illiterate persons, seldom anybody had passed the high school and well settled in that dingy and densely populated area buzzing with dirt and filth. The Government wanted to make some modern house projects, city malls, and change their pitiable life style, but they were not buzzing and decided not to vacate the area and agitating. But only shining light was coming from some of the NGOs who were looking after their cases and at the same time teaching them and their children so that they become literate and do something good in their life.

            The surprising fact about them was that most of them travelled offshore countries say half of the world, so many times had shown their jugglery skills and fetched up teem applauds and prize money, medals which a normal person in our country can’t dreamt off. But they were so obstinate they didn’t want to leave that hellish place and stay there happily. As per their view that big boys will take over their area and will make huge houses, malls and huge money and will throw them out. We went there to cover the stories of the jugglers and got to know about them and their stories, so not putting ourselves in any controversy we did our job and left. On our request some of them came forward and showed their unique skills and also to foreigners.

Text and Photo by- Ashok Karan,

Ashokkaran.blogspot.com,

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