Babu, Dinesh and Srikanth are all around eight-years-old. They spend most of their time playing in the fields adjacent to their makeshift hut while their parents go to work in the sugarcane field.
It is the sugarcane cutting season and several families from Irakpally village under Narayanakhed mandal have migrated about 70 km away to make the most of it. The families usually travel on bullock carts for about three days to reach the place. They carry their belongings, including cattle, with them. Some, with ailing parents at home, come alone, leaving their children behind to take care of the aged persons.
Another 20-member group of farm labourers from Yenakpally tanda from Narayanakhed is also busy preparing to go to work. There are about 10 children in this group who will accompany their parents and lose out on an academic year. Worksite schools have not yet been established at this place. The sugarcane cutting season commenced about a week ago and is expected to continue till April.
“I left my parents – 85-year-old Phakira Naik and 80-year-old Somnabai in our village as I could not bring them here. I also left behind two of my children to take care of them,” said Rathod Venkat. He is one of the members of the group of twenty.
“A couple earns between Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 35,000 during this season. We have to meet our annual expenses from these earnings only in case the crop fails due to adverse weather conditions,” said Mr. Venkat.
“Every year, about 1,500 families migrate from this area for sugarcane cutting. This is a seasonal migration,” says D. Lingam of Narayanakhed.
