The story of the struggle and resilience of two children of bonded labourers — Nandini and Anusha from Mahbubnagar — who recently cleared the SSC exam is exceptional. The sisters broke the chains of illiteracy in their family, becoming the first generation to complete matriculation. Their parents Manjula and Srinivasulu worked as bonded labourers in a stone quarry in Karnataka.
Moving from place to place and not knowing their place of birth, the couple were among 27 families that were rescued by the National Adivasi Solidarity Council (NASC) in 2019. “Our parents don’t even know their exact place of origin. Born, married, and giving birth at the quarry, they moved from one quarry to another because that was the only life they knew,” Nandini explained.
In 2017, the family took a Rs 10,000 advance from a quarry owner, which plunged them into debt bondage. Each day, they worked 19 hours in extreme heat, with no protective gear and minimal pay. This dire situation continued until their rescue in 2019.
Following their release and with a ‘bonded labour release certificate’ in 2020, the family moved to Mahbubnagar. Here, Nandini and Anusha had the chance to attend school. Adjusting was challenging due to their disrupted education and financial struggles, but support from social workers helped.
"We helped about 30 such families to relocate to Mahbubnagar where they continue to work as stone breakers but get fair pay and convenient working hours," said Vasudeva Rao, a so.
