"I work for five hours every day and go to work as soon as my class gets over and sometimes I even have to skip my school to reach work on time," says Shyam.[break] He has been working to support his family and get quality education in the capital city and that´s the reason why he left his hometown, Dharan, and opted to work at so tender an age. He further adds, "I know what I earn is meager, but I want to contribute as much as I can. Being the only son, my family has a lot of expectations from me."
Shyam has a hard time managing his studies and work but is happy that his friends and teachers are supporting him and helping him follow up things he has missed at school. He says that he likes attending school and is fascinated by the fast-paced life of Kathmandu but also misses his family and his hometown.
"I am really looking forward to visiting my family in Dashain and I am even saving some money to buy gifts," he says smilingly. When asked about how hard it is to deal with the passengers and work as a conductor, he answers, "Working as a conductor is no easy job and sometimes it´s really annoying when fussy passengers don´t give the bus fare at the right time as they tend to give money when they get out of the bus only.
This leads to traffic jam and I get blamed from the driver for no reason." While most of the boys of his age get ready for school, Anil Prajapati starts yet another day of work. 16-year-old Anil shares the same story as Shyam but the only difference between them is that he opted to leave school after passing his sixth grade when he started working as a microbus conductor. Hailing from Kathmandu, Anil was weak in studies and didn´t like attending school and so he quit.
He further says that since his father passed away recently, his family has been facing financial problems and so he doesn´t want to become a burden to his mother. "I want to be a driver when I grow up so, I don´t think I need to study to become a driver," he grins.
Moreover, he says that he loves working. "I like my work since all I have to do is collect money from the passengers and I even get to travel on the bus at the same time." He works for seven to eight hours every day.
Dealing with passengers who are grouchy when it comes to paying the bus fare is no new situation for this 16-year-old. "I even get harassed by the passengers sometimes and face verbal abuse by the driver when he is in a bad mood but I am habituated to that," says Anil.
When asked about his plans for the future, Anil with a glint of hope in his eyes and full of enthusiasm, says, "I want to own a microbus and be a driver so that I don´t have to be a conductor of someone else´s microbus."
These young budding youth in the capital city are not forced and are not self-willed to work but they have the responsibility to shoulder for their families.
Some are eager to learn while some just don´t want to continue studying because they don´t see themselves anywhere higher. Life is miserable for these youngsters in the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu city. But with a little more love from all of us their life can be better!
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