Last week, for the first time, I received an e mail from a circus owner in India. Sujit Dilip of The Rambo Circus, India's second largest, wrote to me taking exception to our negative comments about his circus that appeared recently on the Trust's website. This followed our arrest of child trafficking agent Kirta Tamang who was on his way to the Rambo Circus last month with nine Nepalese minors. Mr Dilip has asserted that his is a good circus that looks after everyone very well and he has invited me to visit the circus to find out for myself.
From what I can gather, based upon intelligence gleaned from returnees, the Rambo Circus is one of the better circuses in India, employing overseas artists (including British ones) and paying local and Nepali performers for their services. However, there is still the problem of its use of performers who found their way to the circus through having been trafficked to enter employment on the basis of illegal contracts. On top of that, although Mr Dilip advised me this morning that his performers receive proper education and training within the circus, he will have been preventing children from receiving the full education that their peers outside the circus receive. A full education is a fundamental human right. In doing so he is also denying the children a future for when after the circus is finished with them.
That said, Mr Dilip is clearly not a villain as per some of the other circus owners and I will take up his offer to pay him a visit. Back in 2003 we tried to persuade the circus owners of the time to change their ways and begin operating legally and after their non-compliance we began the process of raids in 2004. Maybe now at least one circus owner is ready to move in the right direction and that is to be encouraged. Perhaps Mr Dilip can lead the way.
