Freedom from hard grind after six months

By Our Staff Reporter

KHAMMAM, SEPT. 22. It was `freedom after six months' for nine- year-old school boy, Satish Poluri, here on Saturday as after six months of hard labour he was liberated and restored to his family by a special team of police.

Satish who had strayed away from his mother had a traumatic experience at the hands of an employer who made him to work for his children at the cost of a square meal. A fourth standard student, Satish had been the favourite of teachers at Khajipura school in the town. He was good in studies and regular to the classes.

But his demand for money to buy the books, including a dictionary his friends had already purchased, annoyed his mother, Padma, who had been working for Rs. 600 a month in a college hostel. With a hand-to-mouth existence, Padma found it difficult to meet the needs of Satish as she had to send money to her another son studying in a residential school in Vijayawada. Satish's sister is in seventh standard while his father died four yeas ago.

Hurt by his mother's refusal, Satish deserted the house with an intention to go to his brother's place. But he got down the train at Errupalem station. Forced by hunger to search for work right on the platform, the boy happily accompanied one Gundla Samuel to Kothapalem village as he offered food.

He changed the name of Satish, introduced him to the villagers as `Ganesh' and claimed him to be son of a relative. Right from day one, Satish was engaged in daily household chores, including cleaning utensils, grazing cattle and fetching water from the well.

Satish said he used to feel bad when sons of his master devoted their time for completing the day's home work while he used to clean the house. Though Samuel's wife, Mariamma, never discriminated against Satish, she never gave him new clothes on festival days, the boy recalled.

Meanwhile, Padma searched for her son in nearby villages in and around Khammam. Her relatives and friends, too, searched for Satish but in vain. And on Saturday, thanks to the police Satish was `spotted' and restored to the family. The police sought to recommend to the district administration for sending the boy, who is still interested to pursue studies, to a residential school.

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Section  : Southern States
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