Bachhe Kaam Par Ja Rahe Hain (बच्चे काम पर जा रहे हैं) — अध्ययन नोट्स

1. Introduction

"Bachhe Kaam Par Ja Rahe Hain" (Children Are Going to Work) is a powerful and disturbing poem written by Rajesh Joshi, a modern Hindi poet. The poem is part of this Class 9 Hindi course. With simple but piercing words, the poet describes the heartbreaking reality of child labour - children who, instead of going to school with their books and bags, go to work every morning with their tiffin boxes. The poem forces the reader to look at a cruel truth of our society: the childhood of millions of children is being stolen in factories, shops and homes.

The poem is built on a painful contrast. Every child has a right to school, play, laughter and dreams. But in the world the poet describes, children are seen carrying tiffins to work just as other children carry books to school. The poet watches these children and asks the questions that echo in every honest heart: Why are they working? Where is their childhood? Why has society accepted this injustice so quietly? The simplicity of the language makes the message even more devastating.

For students, this poem is an eye-opener. It introduces them to one of the most serious social problems of our country and of the world. It also shows the power of poetry to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves - to turn statistics into tears and social problems into a cry of protest. The poem is both a lesson in compassion and a call to social awareness and responsibility.

2. About the Poet

Rajesh Joshi (born 1951) is a well-known modern Hindi poet, born in Rajasthan. He is associated with the new poetry movement and writes in a simple, direct style that speaks of everyday life and social reality. His poems deal with the lives of common people, the pain of the poor and the questions of society, without losing their poetic beauty. His notable work includes the collection "Chandan" and other volumes of poetry. "Bachhe Kaam Par Ja Rahe Hain" shows his deep sympathy for the weak and his belief that poetry must speak the truth of society, even when the truth is painful.

3. Summary of the Poem

The poem opens with the poet's observation of a familiar but tragic scene: children are going to work. In the early morning, instead of heading towards school with books in hand, these children are walking towards factories, workshops and other places of work, carrying their tiffin boxes. The poet is struck by the wrongness of this picture. A child's place is in school, in the playground, in the warm circle of family - not at a machine, a kiln or a shop counter.

As the poet watches, the full weight of the tragedy sinks in. These children are too young to be workers. Their hands should be holding pencils, not tools; their days should be filled with lessons and games, not with labour and fatigue. Yet society has grown so used to this sight that no one stops to question it. The children go to work as naturally as other children go to school, and their childhood quietly disappears in the dust and noise of work.

The poem is not only a description; it is a protest. The poet questions this injustice and makes the reader question it too. Why must children carry the burden of earning before they have even learned to dream? The poem ends with this painful question hanging in the air, leaving the reader with a deep sense of shame and a call to change. It reminds us that every child going to work is a promise broken, a childhood stolen, and a responsibility that society has failed to protect.

4. Characters

The poem has no named characters, but it presents:

• The child workers: The children who go to work every day instead of school, carrying their tiffin boxes.
• The poet-speaker: The voice of protest and compassion who observes and questions this injustice.
• The indifferent society: Implied in the poem - the world that has accepted child labour so quietly.
• The other children: Those who go to school, providing the painful contrast with the working children.

5. Central Theme and Message

The central theme of the poem is child labour and the theft of childhood. Rajesh Joshi exposes the cruel reality of children who are forced to work at an age when they should be in school, playing and learning. The poem contrasts the tiffin box carried to work with the school bag that should have been there, and through this contrast makes the injustice vivid and unforgettable.

The message of the poem is a call to conscience and social responsibility. Every child has a right to education, play and a safe childhood, and society has a duty to protect these rights. The poem urges readers not to accept child labour as normal, but to question it, to feel for these children, and to work towards a world where no child has to carry a tiffin to a factory. For students, the poem is a lesson in compassion and a reminder that the true measure of a society is how it treats its children.

6. Literary Elements

• Genre: Social protest poem of the new poetry tradition.
• Imagery: Vivid pictures of children with tiffin boxes going to work in the morning.
• Contrast: School and work, books and tiffins, childhood and labour are placed in opposition.
• Refrain: The repeated statement that children are going to work drives the message home.
• Rhetorical questions: The poet asks questions that force the reader to examine the injustice.
• Simple, direct language: The new-poetry style uses plain words to carry maximum impact.
• Pathos and protest: The poem is both a lament and a call for change.

Quick Revision Tables

Table 1: What Should Be versus What Is

Table 2: Key Features of the Poem

Mind Map

Important Diagrams (SVG)

Diagram 1: Two Roads for Children

Diagram 2: The Cycle of Child Labour

Common Mistakes

1. Students often think the children in the poem are going to school. The poem is specifically about children going to work (child labour).
2. A common error is to say the poem is about adults going to offices. The focus is entirely on children.
3. Many students ignore the protest element and treat the poem as a simple description.
4. Some learners think the poem criticises the children themselves. It criticises the society that allows child labour.
5. Students sometimes confuse Rajesh Joshi with other modern poets; he is a poet of social concern.
6. Learners often miss the contrast between the school bag and the tiffin box, which is the poem's central image.

Exam Tips

1. Begin answers with: "This is a social protest poem by Rajesh Joshi about the tragedy of child labour."
2. Explain the central image: children carrying tiffin boxes to work instead of going to school with books.
3. In theme questions, discuss the theft of childhood and society's duty to protect children's rights.
4. Mention the poet's use of contrast, refrain and rhetorical questions to drive home the message.
5. Link the poem to the real social problem of child labour, showing its relevance.
6. Practise writing on "Why does the poet call the children's situation tragic?" - a common exam question.

Conclusion

"Bachhe Kaam Par Ja Rahe Hain" is a poem that speaks for millions of silent children. With a few simple, unforgettable images - children with tiffin boxes going to work instead of to school - Rajesh Joshi exposes the cruel reality of child labour and the failure of society to protect its children. The poem is at once a lament, a question and a protest. For students, it is a powerful lesson in compassion and social responsibility, reminding them that a nation's true wealth is its children, and that no child's childhood should ever be sold for the price of a day's labour.