Must globalise compassion to solve basic human issues: Kailash Satyarthi
He spoke to HT about his journey, the power of compassion, and the significance of his work in the fight against child labour and slavery
Children’s rights activist and Nobel Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi is set to launch his autobiography, Diyasalai at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Thursday. He spoke to HT about his journey, the power of compassion, and the significance of his work in the fight against child labour and slavery.
The title of your autobiography, Diyasalai (matchstick), is quite symbolic. What does it represent?The idea behind Diyasalai is deeply personal. I grew up in a home without electricity, relying on lanterns for light. A matchstick, though small, has the power to ignite countless candles and lamps. But it must be willing to burn itself first. To me, this is the essence of activism — one must be ready to sacrifice in order to bring change. This metaphor has shaped my life’s work. I believe every person carries an ocean of light within them; they just need to take that first step to ignite it.
When I started working for the most marginalised and neglected children, it was an uphill battle. For decades, the world did not acknowledge their suffering. Even the United Nations did not have a convention on children’s rights until the 1990s. When I began in the late 1970s, fighting for child dignity and freedom was seen as utopian or idealistic. But I persisted, knowing that even a single spark can light up the darkest corners of the world.
While writing your autobiography, were there any moments that stood out or gave you new realisations?Writing this book made me relive some of my most difficult experiences. One of the most defining moments was my first rescue operation in 1981. A man named Wasal Khan came to me with a copy of my magazine, Struggle Shall Continue, pleading for help. His 15-year-old daughter, Sabo, was about to be sold into a brothel. She had been born into bonded labour at a brick kiln.
I was a journalist at the time, writing about slavery, but that day, I asked myself — if Sabo were my sister or daughter, would I just write about it? No, I had to act. With a small group of friends, I went to rescue her and others. We were brutally attacked and left beaten. But we didn’t give up. We approached the Delhi high court and ultimately freed 36 children, women, and men, including Wasal Khan’s family.
The most powerful realization came when I saw these children running on the streets, laughing, unable to comprehend their newfound freedom. I had always heard of India’s freedom struggle, but that was the first time I truly understood what liberation meant. That moment changed my life forever.
You’ve fought for children’s rights for over four decades. How do you view the global progress on this issue?There has been progress, but not enough. No government, UN agency, or corporation can now ignore children’s issues. However, we are still failing them. A UN report during the pandemic revealed that between 2016 and 2020, child labour increased for the first time in decades, from 152 million to 160 million. This was shocking and unacceptable.
We live in a world that has more wealth, technology, and knowledge than ever before. Yet, we are failing to solve even basic human problems. Conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza have shown us that children remain the worst victims of war. This is why I have expanded my mission beyond just children’s rights—I want to globalize compassion.
You mentioned the need to “globalise compassion.” Can you elaborate on that?We have globalised markets, economies, and data. Now, we must globalise compassion. The problems we face today -- inequality, violence, climate change -- cannot be solved without a fundamental shift in leadership. We need compassionate leadership in politics, business, academia, and civil society.
During the pandemic, I reflected deeply on this and began working with social scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists to develop the concept of a Compassion Quotient (CQ) -- a way to measure and enhance compassion in individuals and societies. We already have IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient); it is time we recognise CQ as a critical factor in decision-making and leadership. I hope to launch this concept globally this year.