Only work target matters to these women, not health

MYSORE: For Yasmeen Begum, the day starts with cooking. Later, she sits at a corner of her small house and starts preparing agarbattis.This 40-year-old learnt preparing agarbattis when she was just nine. The sole breadwinner has three children. Yasmeen prepares about 6,000 sticks a day and earns Rs 100. "I don't want my children to learn my profession. So I made them join school," she said.Most of the women at Ghousia Nagar here spend their day preparing agarbattis and rolling beedis. Some cook food only in the morning, and have it for both lunch and dinner. While some cook food only at night -- to be used for breakfast the next morning, while others bring it from hotels.

"If we cook food thrice, we cannot meet the targets. If we do, our income will be affected," explains Zaiyeda. Her routine starts from serving children the previous night food and sending them to school. She starts rolling beedis from 9am till her children return from school in the evening. "As I cannot cook, I give them pocket money to buy bread or bun for lunch," she adds. She retires to bed after reaching the target, around 1am. The routine of many women is similar to that of Yasmeen and Zaiyeda. They keep working even if they fall sick. So they do not want their daughters to learn their work.

"Patients suffering from diarrhoea frequently come to our hospital. Instead of eating stale food, they have to consume fresh food or else it will affect their and children's health," said V Chandrahas, cheif medical officer of Central Hospital.

Most of the children studying at Hilal School in Ghousia Nagar hail from such families. "Students cannot concentrate on studies. I have seen them playing in grounds at lunch time, instead of going home for lunch," says Amirullah Khan, headmaster of Hilal School. Many students discontinue their study after VIII Std to work. "Every year, we go from house to house and request parents to send drop-outs back to school," he adds.