The story of the life and struggles of India's newest Nobel laureate

A small percentage of people are brave enough to leave an established career, follow an endless path of suffering and fight to pursue a cause they really want to pursue. A prime example of this is Kailash Satyarthi and his three-year struggle to eradicate child labor in India. Born on 11th January 1954 in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, Satyarthi completed his electrical engineering education from a government college. After graduation, Satyarthi started teaching in an institute in Bhopal but soon left his exciting career in the field of electrical engineers. He spent his time helping millions of children in India.

One of his early campaigns was a football team that used membership fees to pay for the education of poor children. Another project is to create a bookstore in Vidisha. In 1980, Satyarthi founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan to lead the campaign against child labour.

He started inspecting brick factories and brick ovens and carpet factories to promote the cause. In the 1990s, Satyarthi was the lead organizer of the Global March Against Child Labor, which aimed to raise awareness of the millions of children worldwide who are being abused as a result of what is known as modern slavery. Currently, it is an umbrella organization of similar civil society organizations and trade unions spread across more than 140 countries. It has helped save around 83,000 children.

Through the efforts of Satyarthi and others like him, the International Labor Organization adopted Convention No. 182 on the most harmful forms of child labor, which is now the primary guideline for governments around the world.

He also founded Rugmark, which labels all carpets made by factories certified as free of child labor. The Nobel laureate is now believed to be planning to expand the labeling program to other items such as soccer balls, a popular product produced by children.

In recent times, he has started efforts to save girls forced into illegal marriages. He has also helped turn thousands of villages into rehabilitation centers where abused teenagers are taught trades.

Another innovative program announced by Satyarthi is 'Balamitra Gram'. It focuses on villages involved in the fight against child labor and creating educational opportunities for every child.

The Bal Ashram in Rajasthan was established as a transition center where children released from work and other trades were taught the basics of work. There are only 100 children in the ashram. Satyarthi feels that there is a need for more facilities that show unwavering commitment to child development. The largest corporate organizations in the country can be involved and be part of the effort to end child labor practices in India.

We need more examples like Kailash Satyarthi to highlight the issues that continue to plague Indian society. Their hard work and struggle deserve real appreciation and often go unrecognized until someone else in the world recognizes their contribution and announces the award as a Nobel or Magsaysay Award.