#ChangeMakerSpeak: Amrita Sharma, Ajeevika Bureau

Amrita Sharma

Aajeevika Bureau works to ensure security and dignity for communities dependent on migration and labour. We catch up with co-director Amrita Sharma as part of our #ChangeMakerSpeak series.

1) What was the inspiration behind Aajeevika Bureau? Why is the cause so close to your heart?

The inspiration to set up Aajeevika came from a statewide study done by Rajiv Khandelwal and Krishnavatar Sharma as part of an exercise to understand how rural livelihoods were changing in Rajasthan. In the course of the study, they found that seasonal and precarious migration had emerged as a state-level phenomenon and the tribal south faced extreme vulnerability in the type of migration it undertook. There was a complete lack of government response. Nobody knew how many people were leaving the villages, the work they were doing and places they were going to. The families back home also suffered acutely and needed an institutional response. In a resolve to address the vulnerability of scores of Adivasi migrant workers and their families, Rajiv and Krishna set up Aajeevika Bureau in 2004, which has now turned into a pioneering initiative inspiring more work on migration across India.

Talking about my story, I joined Rajiv and Krishnaji in 2010 to take the task of spearheading expansion of migration services through NGO partnerships across the country. My inspiration came from a study I was carrying out as part of understanding the future of Indian agriculture. I was carrying out a rural youth perception survey and talking to young people across 15 states. I heard a lot of stories of young migrants who had returned after an unsuccessful migration experience, stories of missing persons, stories of wives and mothers back in the villages struggling to make ends meet and also stay protected. The stories stirred something inside me. I could relate to the stories of families back home and thought of my mother who lived all alone as all her children had moved on for higher education/work. I realised that this is the issue I needed to work on and then finally found Aajeevika Bureau.

2) Can you recall an act of giving that you did/experienced or witnessed that changed your life? Do tell us about it.

The episode that I recall doesn’t involve passing of any material goods but more of wisdom. This is a conversation that I had with a village elderly in Kesave village, Barauni, Bihar during my post-graduation at Institute of Rural Management Anand. I was in deep anguish over the corruption that I observed in the village institutions. Rajnarayan Singh, our host in the village would talk to us every day about our experiences and observations. That day he heard my outburst and said something, which has stayed with me as a talisman. He said, the roots of corruption are very deep; if you go to fight it you may feel exhausted and discouraged after some time. What you could do is plant a seed of integrity next to it and nurture it with all the energy, conviction and love that you can muster. One day your sapling will also grow into an equally mighty and robust tree, the benefits of which humanity and society shall reap.

Working on migration and labour issues when India is seeking faster growth rates and higher FDI by relaxing labour protection norms has not been easy. Our endeavour to find voice, visibility, dignity and safety for migrant workers is our little seed that we hope will grow and guide us on a more rewarding path.

Migrant workers waiting to be employed at a labour naka

3) Is there somebody (living or dead) whose giving/ philanthropy you admire? Why?

I would like to speak about two people – my father and Indu Da – one of my senior colleagues in my first job. They are not known philanthropists but have taught me kindness and empathy.

While I received a lot of gifts (not in the physical sense) from my doctor father, there is one act of giving that I recall in particular. One lazy afternoon, when we were reading a book together in a plush doctor’s bungalow in Bihar we were visited by a poor old lady selling snacks. I didn’t want the distraction and asked her to leave. My father stopped me, spoke to her kindly as she was quite nervous, asked me to serve her water and purchased a few packets of snacks from her. I was puzzled as I felt it was a waste of money. We didn’t really need those snacks. When the lady left and I asked my father. He said how unfortunate it was that at such an old age she was having to earn her livelihood knocking on the doors of strangers. That as a society we had failed the elderly and that it could happen to anyone – even my own grandmother. I was quite moved and also felt embarrassed. Since then I have continued the practice of asking postmen, courier boys – all strangers knocking at my door – for water, or refreshments and being kind to them.

Indu Da, is another inspiration. I did a lot of village field work with him in Anand, Gujarat during the start of my career and was moved by his capacity to love and care for everyone he met. He would be moved by the situation of anyone in pain and would try to do what was in his capacity. He was the epitome of the saying – “start where you are, use what you have, do what you can do”. It continues to inspire me.

4) Do you have a motto or mantra, or even a quote that you live by?

Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can do

5) In a perfect world, what dream do you want Aajeevika Bureau to accomplish in the next five years, and what kind of a future would you like it to be part of?

Hundreds of workers die in work site accidents, something that we read about in the newspapers but are hardly moved by. These are small costs that we need to pay to achieve higher growth and prosperity, is the common argument. I hope and dream that one day we will respect all workers, regardless of the nature of their work. Cases of labour rights violations and workplace accidents would prompt a more empathetic response - that as citizens, we would take note, stand up, and act. Loss of a single life would count, and would matter to all of us.

The future world we would like to work towards would be a world of greater equality and where work would be dignified and we will have respect for all type of labour performed. Also for women – who are again largely invisible and their contribution negated.