"Struggle No Longer Just About Children": Nobel Laureate Looks Ahead

Nobel Laureate, founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, and global voice for children's rights - Kailash Satyarthi may have earned accolades worldwide, but he still carries the soul of Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. In an exclusive interview with NDTV he spoke not of awards, but the pain of children, society's silence, and the responsibility of those in power.

Q: You're from Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. How do you see the condition of children in your home state today? Has anything changed?

A: A lot has changed - and yet, a lot remains (the same). When I started, child labour was normal. It is still present, but awareness has grown. Parents now want their kids in school. Schemes exist, but monitoring on the ground is weak.

Q: What did your childhood in Vidisha teach you? What still inspires you from there?

A: Vidisha isn't just my birthplace - it's where my thoughts were shaped. Emperor Ashoka's children, Mahendra and Sanghamitra, were born there. They chose the path of non-violence and service. If a child could inspire peace 2,000 years ago, why not today?

Q: NDTV uncovered a massive nutrition scam in MP where money for children's food was siphoned off. As someone who works for children globally, how do you feel when you read such stories from your own state?

A: It hurts deeply - like a mother's pain. For children who barely get two meals a day, to be robbed of even that is shameful for any society. Whether it is Vidisha or anywhere else, I raise my voice - not just in India but across 145 countries - wherever there's injustice.

Q: That report was actually my investigation. The Comptroller and Auditor General confirmed it.

A: And that's the power of real journalism - truth that drives change. Journalists who amplify children's voices are the real changemakers.

Q: You spoke of drug abuse among children. NDTV recently did a sting nearby - young kids using and selling drugs. Have you seen any positive change in India since your Nobel win?

A: Yes, I sense a moral shift. Officials, politicians, even judges now take children's issues more seriously. But real change will only come when society wakes up. Governments alone can't do it.

Q: You have often said that compassion is the only thing that can unite the world. But today, news of atrocities against minorities has become commonplace across the globe - whether it is Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh or yourself. Don't you think the responsibility of Nobel laureates becomes even greater in such times?

A: Absolutely. Wherever there is oppression or injustice, it is the moral duty of every individual - who calls themselves human - to raise their voice. From the very day I received the Nobel Prize, I felt a deepened sense of responsibility. This struggle is no longer just about children - it is now a fight for every victim, every marginalized person, and every frightened soul. My dream is of a world where places of worship - temples, mosques, churches, and gurdwaras - open not in the name of religion, but in the name of humanity.

Q: In India, some forces talk about making it a Hindu Rashtra. Isn't that against our shared culture and the spirit of our Constitution?

A: Look, this is a matter of ideologies and individual perspectives. The India I imagine - the world I dream of and strive to create - if I talk about faith, religion, and belief systems, then in that dream world, in that world of my struggle, I see a place where every temple, every mosque, every gurdwara, every church opens its doors for all children, no matter their religion.

If a child is hungry, they should find food. If a child is afraid, they should be given protection. The day a temple priest sees a suffering child - whether they are Muslim or Christian - and embraces them, saying, "You are a child of God, and what you need most is safety, love, and dignity - and I will give you that" - that's the world I want to see.

The same should happen in mosques, in churches, in gurdwaras. And this is not just my dream. I believe fragmentation and violence are not eternal, they are not Sanatan. What is Sanatan is love for humanity, unity with each other. And for that, you don't need a Nobel Prize.

Q: What do you feel when you see a child run into rubble to save her books after a bulldozer demolishes her home?

A: Pain. And rage. Whether it's Gaza, Ukraine, or India, these images reflect something deeper than war. Violence begins in the mind - in hatred, greed, intolerance. We must teach values - especially compassion - to fight it at the root.

Q: You have said that compassion should be taught in schools and that the money spent on war should be invested in education. What is the emotion behind this thought?

If the world stops spending on war - even for just ten days - if we stop manufacturing weapons, then every child in every poor country could have access to education, safety, and healthcare. The world is not poor - our thinking is.

Depression has become a global epidemic today because people no longer have shoulders to cry on, nor arms left to hold one another. If India doesn't lead the way, then who will?

Violence doesn't begin with bombs - it begins in the mind. When we steal a child's food, push them into drugs, or stay silent in the face of injustice - we feed that violence. But India believes in 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' - the world as one family. That's not just a slogan. It's a way of life.