TS school children work during holidays

 Telangana | Written by : Suryaa Desk Updated: Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 11:00 AM

Sangareddy: Unlike in urban areas, children in rural parts of Telangana start contributing to the family kitty from a tender age. Elders say it is part and parcel of Indian culture.

Children assist their parents in agriculture activities and household chores, and that eases pressure on parents. The other day, over a dozen schoolchildren were seen engaged in deseeding tamarind at Peddachelmada village in Sangareddy district.

Since it was a holiday, children chose to work instead of playing. People from Peddchelmada village are known for leasing out tamarind trees around the village and they supply the tamarind to Hyderbabad after deseeding it. Traditionally, villagers of Peddachelmada have been doing it from a long time.

A woman who takes up desseding work told ‘Telangana Today’ schoolchildren were paid Rs 6 for for deseeding one kg of tamarind. On holidays, Salma said, children earn from Rs 60 to Rs 150, which comes in handy to buy books, pens and other material.

She said the activity also helped children understand the day to day struggle of their parents. A 10-year-old girl said she earned around Rs 100 on a holiday, which she gave to her mother. Salma said children take interest in deseeding tamarind and this also helped the elders.