Cheshta TaterCo-founder, Rightantra While I sat eating at a rather expensive restaurant today, I spotted a child from the huge French window. He was doing pull-ups. On the scaffolding. No, he was not a child labourer. But in that moment, I couldn’t help but be selfish. We started Rightantra, from our comfortable homes, in September 2020 in the hope of bringing out some change and helping children access the legal system. Initially, we just wanted to simplify laws so children could understand every law which affected them. Then, we decided to do some “fieldwork”, so we volunteered with Teach For India for two months. We expanded and starting taking free sessions for children, explaining various topics to them.
Every team meeting, I point out to the team that our numbers on Instagram do not look good. In all of this “influencer” culture, I forgot to reach children. The one doing pull-ups on the scaffolding is a distant dream, I couldn’t even reach the children living in my building. Here’s why:
Dear Adults, As a fellow adult, I know this has been a tough journey and it is not exactly getting any easier. I know that when you see a kid (or better yet, a baby), you can’t help but point out how cute the child is and reminisce about your childhood. Sometimes, the reminiscing takes a dark turn and you recollect the not-so-good bits about your childhood and try to shake them off. You continue with your life. Let’s not continue right away. Stick to that bad memory for a bit and read on. Imagine yourself in that situation again (apologies for the pain it may cause you). But now think, was there some adult who could have solved your problem by doing something or not doing something? Do you think life would be different if some adult just told you something then? Did you want to sue an adult but couldn’t do it because you were “just a child”? Was there an adult who had all the power to ensure you did not suffer the trauma you suffered? If your answer is a no, I would love to know what would have then been a solution in your case. But if you answer a yes to any of those questions, I want to tell you that this is exactly what we are trying to do at Rightantra. We want to reach the children, be there for them, and provide them with all possible recourses. We want to create awareness before it is too late. If you know a child, don’t keep the information we publish from them. We curate information keeping in mind that those minds are young and impressionable and should only be exposed to age-appropriate information. However, it does not mean that you keep away the knowledge of their rights from them. Or don’t tell them what “bad things” exist in the world. We are not teaching you how to parent (anyone who is not a parent should not comment on parenting). All we are asking is for you to look back at your childhood and give the child everything you did not have but wanted. We just wish that we are one of those few things. Thank you for reading so far. Regards, Cheshta Tater
1 Comment
Shruti Srivastava
7/30/2021 11:25:40 pm
Would just like to say that this is a great initiative...to answer your question, l think l am privileged or fortunate enough because l did not face any mishap as a child....but, l would definitely like to help those children who need an adult...it would really be a pleasure:)
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