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Kailash Satyarthi: Much More Than A Nobel

Kailash Satyarthi along with Malala Yousafzai receives Nobel Peace Prize of 2014 today at Oslo. We have been hearing about Kailash Satyarthi ever since his name was announced on the Nobel peace Prize 2014. Just a few people were aware of this great Man’s contribution to society and now he has risen to become the nation’s pride, it feels as if everyone is singing his praise.

Adding a little more to his praise, here are a few points which we probably didn’t know and a must know about Kailash Satyarthi

Who is Kailash Satyarthi?

The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his works as an activist against child labour.  The answer is much more than that.

Kailash Satyarthi is a children’s rights activist who saved the rights and lives of more than 80,000 children in more than 140 countries and whose work inspired the International Labour Organization of United Nations to adopt a convention on worst forms of child labour.

What was he before?

Kailash Satyarthi was an electrical engineer by qualification, who worked for a few years as a lecturer in the same stream. At the age of 26, he gave up his promising career to start something new a career but not a vision.

The beginning of a new era

Satyarthi began working for the liberation of bonded labourers with an NGO and later started his own organization by the name Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Mission)

What’s the Nobel Peace Prize Motivation?

This is what the Nobel Prize organization says about the Prize motivation for Kailash Satyarthi :

 “For the struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”

Why Kailash Satyarthi Deserved Nobel Peace Prize?

• He was the lead organizer of Global march against child labor where people from all over the world came to fight against child labor which brought some changes in the policies of child labour with the International Labour Organization.

• He was the co-founder of Global Campaign for Education which is working to promote children’s and adult education.

• He served as the president of Global Campaign for Education.

• He highlighted child labor as a human rights issue as well as a welfare matter and charitable cause.

• He has contributed for the development of international conventions on children’s rights.

• He led raids on many factories to rescue children.

• He founded RugMark, an international scheme that tags all carpets made in factories certified as child labour-free.

• He is currently working on bringing child labour and slavery into the post-2015 development agenda for the United Nations

Awards

Satyarthi has received more than 13 internationally renowned awards including Defenders of Democracy Award (US),  Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (US), Gold medal of the Italian Senate, Golden Flag Award (Netherlands), The Aachener International Peace Award (Germany) and many more. And not to mention, The Nobel Peace Prize 2014.

He is the second person from India receiving Nobel Peace Prize, first being Mother Teresa.  He is the only person born and brought up in India to receive Nobel peace prize.

An incredible contribution rewarded with life threats

There were many attempts to confine him to prison with false charges and a few attempts to even kill him. Two of his colleagues were murdered on job and yet Kailash Satyarthi continues the true spirit of liberating innocent lives.

His Words

A single line of his reflects his journey.

“India has hundreds of problems and millions of solutions.”

Yes, India has an incredible number of problems and yes there are incredible numbers of people wanting to solve this. Given an opportunity or willing to take up one can solve a little bit of the problem at least. A little done is better than nothing done at all.