Honoring Labour Day with a Heavy Heart

 

Honoring Labour Day with a Heavy Heart

While going through my photo archive, I came across two powerful stories captured years ago in the interiors of North and Central Bihar. As a photojournalist, some of the most compelling and heartbreaking images I’ve taken come from the everyday lives of people in rural India — especially the children.

One such memory is from Muzaffarpur district, North Bihar — widely known for its luscious lychees. But beyond the orchards lies a different story. I witnessed young children, some barely 10 years old, toiling away in the sweltering heat of May, crafting Lac bangles in small cottage industries. Instead of being in school, these children were melting and shaping bangles beside their parents, helping to keep the household running. Their innocent hands, meant for books and play, were working beside furnaces, often under exploitative conditions and for meager wages.

During my visit, a few locals objected to my presence with a camera, but thanks to a local acquaintance, I was able to take the photographs without incident. The reality I saw was heart-wrenching — children robbed of their childhood in exchange for a few coins and the hope of a meal.

In another instance, I was on assignment in the deep jungles of Rajauli, near the Bihar-Jharkhand border. There, I met children carrying heavy loads of mica scraps on their heads through rugged forest paths. They collected the scraps to sell in Koderma’s wholesale markets, some 30 kilometers away, all for a pittance after an exhausting day under the sun.

On this Labour Day, I share these images not to shock, but to remind us that behind our progress, there are still countless children enduring exploitation, hazardous work, and lost dreams.

As per Indian labor law:

• No child below 14 should be employed in any hazardous occupation.
• Children and youth must be protected from exploitation and abandonment.

Despite this, 79% of working children are still in rural areas, most between the ages of 12–15, with many even younger. Child labor not only robs them of education but places them in environments that are physically, mentally, and morally harmful.

Labour Day, or International Workers' Day, observed every May 1st, commemorates the global struggle for workers' rights. Its origins trace back to the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago — a pivotal event that led to the establishment of the 8-hour workday. Today, while we celebrate this day with wishes and tributes, it's also a time to reflect on those still fighting for the most basic of rights — especially children.

Interestingly, the term “May Day” also holds another meaning — a universal distress call derived from the French phrase m’aider (help me). It's a poignant reminder of the cries for help we often overlook in our own communities.

To all the workers across the globe — I salute your resilience and dedication. And to the world, let’s not forget those tiny hands still bearing the weight of survival.

Happy Labour Day.

Photos:

1.     Child laborers working in Lac bangle units, Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

2.     Children carrying mica scraps in Rajauli forest region.

Text & Photos by: Ashok Karan
👉 ashokkaran.blogspot.com
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