“I am an educated unemployed person.” Sagar does not hesitate or be timid while saying this. Sagar Vishwas is in his 30s and lives with his family in a Bengali colony, Nanakmatta. A Bengali colony is a place where people don’t have their own permanent work. Most people depend on MGNREGA or work as manual labours to fulfil their livelihood. “Bengali Colony is the most backward place of Nanakmatta.” Sagar says while giving his address information to me in a hopeless voice.
Sagar was the smartest kid of his time. He always used to score the best in the class. He has completed his 12th from Inter College, Nanakmatta and BA from Khatima, near the town of Nanakmatta. He failed in MA’s first year due to some personal issues. Some of the people of the Bengali colony had degrees or studied at that time, and Sagar was one of them. Sagar used to think that if he studied a lot, he would get a good job, but that did not happen.
“Nothing happens with this degree; people tell lies, and they don’t get jobs by this. I have a degree, I am educated; where is my job now?” Sagar says.“I could not get a job only because of poverty. Due to money, I could not get selected in many places”, Sagar added.
Sagar explored many jobs after his studies, but he did not have all the documents for many jobs. The patwari (a government official who keeps records regarding the ownership of land). confused him greatly in the matter of documents. For months, he wandered from one office to another, and after getting lots of drama, he gave up and stopped running after jobs.
“This is our system; there is a lot of discrimination in it; the main thing is casteism, due to which I could not get a job. They give work only to their own people or close connections , even if we are more capable than them.” Sagar says in an objection/abhorrent manner.
Sagar does not have any permanent job as of now. Sagar does the work given by the government under MNREGA and Laboury to run his house. At present, he works for Sariya Catering in Sidkul, Sitarganj, near Nanakmatta. It is very difficult to run the house by doing this work.
“We manage livelihood by combining various earnings together. We receive some food grains and benefits through government schemes since we have a BPL card. However, when work is scarce, even earning two thousand rupees becomes difficult. There is no stability or permanent salary,” Sagar added.
Despite his struggles, Sagar’s passion for writing remains. He writes about his life experiences and societal challenges during his free time, often penning poems in the late hours or when work is scarce. However, he has never had the opportunity to share his writings with others.
Some of the Sagar’s poem lines are-
हमने अक्सर चुनावो मे, नेताओ से सुने ये खूब भाषण
सब पीड़ा दूर कर दूँगा, एक बार दिला दो आसन।।
कुर्सी मिलने के बाद नेता अक्सर बदल जाया करते हैं।
जेब भरने में व्यस्त रहते हैं ,जनता को भूल जाया करते हैं।।
Which means-
We have often heard these speeches from leaders during elections.
I will take away all the pain; give me a seat once.
Leaders often change after getting the chair.
They are busy filling their pockets; they forget the public.
“Bengali Colony is the most backward area of Nanakmatta, where many government schemes are still deprived. Yes, we are enjoying some schemes, but we are still unaware of many common schemes.” Sagar says.
Sagar always writes on different topics. Sagar writes plays for the Durga Puja that take place in his Bengali colony. Poems are his daily work; when he gets time, he writes them.
“Whom should I show? I never got any platform to show myself.” Sagar speaks when he is asked why he has never shared his poems with anyone.
Sagar has three daughters who study in a nearby government school. Sagar wants to educate his daughters. Looking at the status of girls in his society, Sagar writes-
नारी का सम्मान हो, जाए समाज मे ये ज्ञान
ना इनकी अवहेलना हो, ना करे कोई अपमान । ।
मां, पत्नी ,बेटी ,बहन; नारी के हैं रूप हजार।
नारी से ही संसार बसे ,नारी से ही घर परिवार।
Which means-
Women should be respected; this knowledge should go into the society
Neither should they be disregarded, nor should anyone insult them.
Mother, wife, daughter, sister, there are thousands of forms of a woman.
The world is settled by women; the family is by women only.
Sagar finds the reason for this condition to be a lack of money and discrimination happening in the system. Sagar wants the one who studies to get a job because if they do not get a job, they feel bad. Having studied so much and sitting unemployed in the end, what are the benefits of studying? Sagar makes many efforts to promote education in his society. Also, He always tries to spread his learning and knowledge wherever he goes.
“I want casteism and discrimination to be removed from this job system, and people should not be selected on the basis of their caste but on the basis of their ability and qualification,” Sagar says in an appealing tone.