For years now, international institutions, governments, NGOs, and social workers have been working towards a child-labour-free India. We have made strides, but we still have a long way to go. As many kids as there are in schools, the same number of kids are outside - working to make a living. 

Take a look around, child labour is not an isolated phenomenon. Child labourers can be easily found working as domestic helpers, small vendors, waiters, bangle makers… the list can go on and on. 

Mukul Madhav Foundation and the CSR arm of Finolex Industries portray the story of one such child labourer in their short film, “Baitullah”. Baitullah- the film’s protagonist works at a tea stall and delivers tea around his neighbourhood and picks up the used tea glasses on his way back to the stall. We see little Baitullah meeting loads of people on his round, and everyone takes the tea from him without blinking an eye. Nobody questions why this boy is out delivering tea in the morning instead of being at school. It’s a regular affair. And seeing this on our screen makes us question our own reality. How many times have we seen a child working on the streets and didn’t even stop to question it? How many Baitullahs work in our neighbourhood? 

The film continues, Baitullah takes a little detour to join a game of cricket and a parade but ultimately returns to his tea stall. Policemen are parked right next to the tea stall, and the protectors of the law will surely do something right? They’ll emerge as the heroes of the film and save our protagonist? No. They too don’t find child labour odd enough to step in. 

However, they do step in - when Baitullah stands up to the abuse of the stall owner, then a policeman walks in to question the child, tauntingly asking him “Why aren’t you in school?”. We all know why he isn't at school. But Baitullah has a better question, what will he have to do to become like the policeman - like us. To have a better standard of life, to have a little authority of his own. 

While we ponder over the question he posed, Baitullah goes to sweep up broken glass. And while we stay at home and only think of change instead of acting for it, child labour continues. 

Seeing our reality portrayed without rosy filters and a happily-ever-after is harsh… but it is also true. Baitullah - the film - does a fantastic job of delivering its message in just a few words and wakes us up to not just passively accept child labour and instead speak up about it.

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