The Courage to Care: Kailash Satyarthi on Rescuing Childhood, Fighting Slavery & Changing Humanity | Tomorrow Today

Tomorrow, Today - Shekhar Natarajan

Kailash Satyarthi shares his journey from childhood empathy to global activism, highlighting his early experiences with child labor and the power of collective action. His story underscores the transformative impact of rescuing children from slavery and empowering them through education. Through personal anecdotes and real-life examples like Kalu and Lakshman, he illustrates how one generation’s l

Key takeaways

• Childhood empathy sparked lifelong mission
• Education is a powerful tool against exploitation
• Rescued children can become agents of change

Transcript preview

Now onwards your children will go to the next grade, higher grade. And then if you started bringing books put in on my card, three, four hours, my card was filled with books. So more than 2,000 books were collected in one day. In few months, more than 10,000 books were collected. Then they set up a book bank. So people started calling me Kallash, Book Bank Walla. Tell me why like we have this problem? Like, is it futile. society, is that why it is or is it like? It's a combination of several factors. One is the greediness of employers and the vulnerability of poor people, society's communities deliberately kept backward or poor people who wanted to make easy money out of poor people, poor people and children in particular. Children cannot raise their voice, cannot form the unions, they cannot go to the court after law, you know, exploited physically, mentally, but all. Children cannot raise their voice, cannot raise their voice, cannot form the unions, they cannot go to the court after law, you know, you know, you know, you, you know, who's in many cases, this is the biggest reason. Can you go back to the day, stopped writing and then someone came to you and said, like my daughter getting trafficked. So tell me that whole like story what happened. And his daughter's name was Sabo, when she was about to be sold to a brothel. One day, parents saw that some unknown people came from a brothel and they were bargaining the prize. They wanted to buy that girl and this girl and this girl is virgin. and you have to pay more money. Girl was taken to a room and these people have touched their body and all kinds of nonsense happened. I started feeling something different that, look my brother, I am going to rescue your daughter at any cost. You lost three people of your own? I lost three people. One was shot at, one was beaten to that and one died in the operation. And according to it, there were more than one million children working in carpet making in South Asia. At least 800,000 kids were rescued and they might have gone to school. Many of them I cannot guarantee because the demand for a fair carpet, demand for labeled carpet has increased. This initiative was able to create at least 800 adult shops in place of China. History is never written by those who just sit and clap at the fans. You need not to look outside. I always say that don't look heroes and worship them. outside. There is a hero inside each one of you. One is Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for humanitarian causes. There are many, many celebrities and many influences and many strong people I have interviewed. But this is going to be my absolute favorite because I've been awed by your stories. I'm like, you know, like you're a superhuman. And the world would see why you're a superhuman through the show as well. I cannot fly. Yes, so no, this is like there are many moments in life where you meet a lot of interesting people but this is a moment of awe for me. It's an honor to have you on the show, sir. Thank you very much, you know, thank you. Let's start from the very beginning of your early days and these are all pretty known to people but like I would love my audience to hear. And we have like about a million and a half people following us subscribe to our show. and there's been incredible love and affection of what we're trying to do. So age five, you go to school, you saw a kid who was actually polishing the shoes outside the school, something in you said, this doesn't seem right. Like, I never even thought of something like that. Like, where does that compassion in you come from? Like, what was the moment? Like, why did you feel that? Yeah, thank you. I don't know whether I thought or I felt. I think I felt because it was so spontaneous when I was entering in my local school for ordinary people, poor people. I was going there because I also come from humble background. So it was a municipal school. And this is in Viddisha. This is in my hometown, Viddishah, where I was born and grew up. that is an ancient place close to Sanchi, the stupa of Buddha. So that is an ancient place. So anyway, so when I was about to enter and climbing up some stairs, I suddenly saw a boy my age sitting at a corner and climbing up some stairs, I suddenly saw a boy my age sitting at a corner and I could not forget his face and eyes. I suddenly saw a boy my age sitting at a corner and I could not forget his face and eyes. because he was not looking at us, me and other young boys and girls going to school. He was looking at our feet, perhaps we are going to give him some job. And he was sitting under an open sky with a small wooden, old wooden box and some shoes and some shoes and he was sitting under an open sky with a small wooden box and some shoes and and other tools were lying over there. So suddenly I felt that why this child is not going to school and that disappointed me. I was struggling for a few minutes when I was in class for the first day for the first time. But when my turn came, I was I asked my teacher, sir, why a child is sitting outside and not with rest of us in the classroom? He said, calm down, this is not uncommon, this is your new day, make friends, and so on. Same answers were given by my family members and other friends. But every morning and afternoon I saw that boy, sometimes alone and sometimes with his father. And every single day made me rather angry from inside or sad or confused, the combination of all kind of emotions. So one day I gathered my courage and asked to father and son, boy was very shy, but the man stood up with folded hand-cent. said, Babuji, I never thought about it. My grandfather, my father and I started such work since we were children and so is my son, he said. But then he took a pause and I could feel utter helplessness, hopelessness, hopelessness, in his face and eyes. Then with folded and he said, Babuji, school jane, that's aplog, he came karnay, he's a kam karnay, he's a better way. Sir, you guys are born to go to school, but we are born to work. And I had no answer. Suddenly my mind stopped and I started crying. man is also saying that this is the part of their journey of life. Tradition. So I could not do much, but I carried his empty eyes, the boy's empty eyes, with some question which were not clear, but for me I was trying to make them clear for my myself and tried to find answers to those questions that why this child was working and I was going to school. And what happened to that child? I didn't know what happened later on but for years in my primary school that was a primary school. So I studied there only for a few years because my headmaster was very impressed with me for other things, not for this. So I studied there only for a few years because my headmaster was very impressed with me for other things, not for this. So he said. that this boy could be enrolled in grade three because he could do it. So suddenly I was promoted to grade three instead of grade one. And so I stayed there for two years and then I lost the track. Then you decided at age 11 that you should actually organize a soccer club with your friends? Yes, then I thought that maybe these children... don't have fees because those days school and education was not free. So I started collecting some money and one way was to organize a football club and football club in my street narrow street. So during the rainy season those streets were filled with water and filled and all kind of things. In my street, narrow street. So during the rainy season those streets were filled with water and filled and filled all kind of things. I have learned to Sim in that water and remember that those days in all our street and the neighboring streets the toilets were open yes open latins open toilet so everything comes in water and I was trying to fight with it my nose and I was trying to fight with it my nose and my eyes were trying to learn swim but I was that I was that I meant that I was trying to fight with it my nose I will learn swimming in that. And even now I feel that I'm swimming in the ozone of all kind of filth of hatred and violence and you know. Some things never change. Things will never change. You have to swim and fight with that. So you raised money through the football club and then you also like got books for donation that way you could hand to the kids who are like underprivileged? Yeah. So you raised money through. So you raised money through the football club and then you also like got books for donation that where you could hand to the kids who were like underprivileged? Yes. Yes. Yes, That has a story because when the new session began and I went to my school, the second school, that time I was 11, I saw that there was several seats remain empty. That included the seat of my best friend. He did not turn up. So I thought that maybe he's sick or some other reason. But I kept waiting for three, four days. and he did not turn up. So I went to look for him and went to a small room where he and he and his brother was living. So I learned from the landlady that they have left about a month ago during the summer vacations because they did not have any money to pay the rent. they did not have enough to eat. So they left the city and went back to their village which nobody knew. So I started again crying and I was very sad, very upset seeing his empty seat for a few days, but some other young people came, other students came. But then I started talking to other friends and they said that many children leave there. school because their parents don't have enough resources. Then this idea came to