Even as she does a tight rope walking and tries hard to maintain poise and balance, nine-year-old Sita casts a spell on the audience. Not only children but also adults seem to be overwhelmed by her acrobatics.
She waves her fingers at her face and passes into trance. She removes one of the poles, moves her body to a side as she hangs in the air. A little while later, she gently pushes her body so that she remains hanging in a horizontal position with her elbow resting on one bamboo pole.
The audience in Jaraka was bursting into raptures as this Chhattisgarh born little kid turned in a circular motion on the bamboo pole. The acrobat has been performing the dangerous balancing act on the rope since last two years. She walks the tightrope with just a thin safety line.
A villager Manoranjan Sahoo of Jaraka said, “If she were my child, I would never let her do anything like that no matter how talented she is.” To entertain the bystanders, she deliberately sways herself violently, holding another stick across her chest but still maintaining her balance on the rope.
Sita along with her parents and a brother lives in a makeshift tent at Jaraka and earns money for doing the acrobatics whereas her parents and brothers beat drums to attract crowds at the place to witness the rope walking.
Her father, Manoj Kumar Ondhia, hails from Maoist affected Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. He said, “On an average we earn `200 to `300 a day. It is small but my family of four somehow manages.”
Sita never held a pen. She only finds comfort in walking on the rope in many areas of the State. During the ropewalking shows, the mother of Sita collects money from sympathetic bystanders. “Contrary to popular belief, it is very peaceful when I’m on the wire.
It’s just me and the wire. It’s relaxing,” said Sita. Sita is a child labourer. Despite the presence of so many laws including the Child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, children are still employed in hazardous professions and the Government has not been able to stop the trend.
While almost everyone agrees that child labour cannot be overlooked, the issue is complex. The cycle of poverty and its implications must be addressed properly, so that families can find other means to survive, said Dr Manjoor Alli a social worker of Jajpur.