February 6: Mythology speaks of a young Krishna who was tied to a tree by his mother for having been mischievous. But Vijay Pawar, an autistic child, couldn't have done anything remotely naughty at the age of one-and-a-half years, when his mother began tying him to a tree. For fourteen years, Vijay's days have consisted of a regular routine: being tied to a tree from 7 in the morning till 2 noon, when his mother finished her work and untied him.S Vidyakar, who runs Udavum Karangal, an NGO, offered to take care of the child after seeing a photograph of Vijay in Express Newsline on December 11. Vidyakar came to Mumbai today to take Vijay to Chennai.
Sunderbai, Vijay's mother, had four children, out of which only Vijay survived. Since he was slightly retarded, she couldn't take him with her to her place of work and hence tied him to a tree near the building to prevent him from running away. ``Once, when she hadn't tied him, he ran away and we had to search for him. Ever since, she has always kept himtied by his leg,'' Hemant, a cable operator in the building said.
``He will have to be treated by doctors in Chennai and once he becomes better, we'll send him to school,'' Vidyakar said. He's also promised to make arrangements for Sunderbai to meet Vijay in Chennai once every three or four months.
``Yahan ke log kutta rakhenge aur usko palne ke liye do ayah rakhenge. Lekin itne salon se is bacche ko ped se bandh rakha aur kisine dekha tak nahin (People in the nearby buildings keep dogs as pets and they have two maids to look after them),'' Manohar Dange, a security officer in Sea Lord building, Cuffe Parade, outside which Vijay has all along been tied up, said.
Sunderbai said: ``Maine yahan ke sabhin logon se madat ke liye pucha. Lekin kisine koi madat nahin ki. (I asked many people for help, but no one came forward).''
One resident of the building, curious to know why so many people had gathered there, said, ``Yes, I've seen this child tied to the tree here. I didn't know there wasanything wrong with him.'' All he knew was that the boy's mother worked as a domestic servant in the building. He also didn't bother to find out why the boy had been tied to the tree for so many years.
Sunderbai wistfully acknowledged that ``it would be best for her son to go with the good man from Madras. My son will have a far better future there. As long as I'm alive, the child will have no problems, but after my death there will be no one to take care of him,'' she said.
Meanwhile, as camera bulbs flashed, Vijay grinned, made faces and when asked where he was going, shyly said, ``Madras.''
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
