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The Hindu BusinesslineFinancial Dailyfrom THE HINDU group of publicationsMonday, April 10, 2000At the finish line

Vani Saraswathi

They say it is in the tradition of Arabia. They are only teaching the children theways of the desert. Feeding a child one measly sandwich and a can of cola, toensure that his weight does not cross 5-6 kg, seems a rather cruel tradition.Especia lly when that `tradition' is imposed only upon poor children fromcountries such as Bangladesh and Sudan.

Children who are barely over two years of age are made to mount camels; thelighter they are, the better the chances. Camel-racing is the most popular sportin this region, even ahead of football.

Waifs who were chasing each other in play only minutes ago are given a riding crop

and a walkie-talkie each, and placed on camels.

Soon they are at the starting line, together with their trainers who are on biggercamels. On an adjacent track, `sport-lovers' sit in air-conditioned, magnificentfour-wheel drives, walkie-talkie in hand. As the flag is lifted electronically,the camels are pushed ahead.

The trainers turn back after a while after ensuring that the camel and the youngjockey are stable. For the remaining 8-10 km, the tiny tots are left to themselves-- perched precariously on their camels -- while the men (mostly camel owners)drive along in their motor vehicles and scream instructions through walkie-talkies. The child responds with the metal-tipped crop, nudging the animalforward.

No amount of hearsay or reading about the race prepares one for the actual event.Even as you drink in the numb looks of the boys on the camels, the frenzy of thosein the cars hits you hard. Most of the jockeys are between two and six years ofage. When they are no longer fit to be jockeys, they become trainers. The victimthen becomes the perpetrator of the evil.

Each team, comprising the jockey and trainer, gets $2.5 per camel during trainingand $12.5 on race days. If the jockey wins, then the team gets 10 per cent of theprize money.

Between the camel and the jockey, guess who is more valuable? Each of these racecamels is valued at approximately $200,000. The toddlers, on the other hand, are

given away for almost next to nothing -- $250-300 each. Most of these children arefrom Suda n and some from Bangladesh. The parents normally sell one child tosustain the rest of the family.

There are also instances of young boys being kidnapped from Bangladesh andPakistan. Last year, a seven-year-old Bangladeshi boy was rescued from the racingcircuit. His family had been lured to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with promisesof employment for his father. The boy had been abducted soon after. However, withmore parents from Sudan willing to give away their little ones, kidnapping isbecoming less of an issue.

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Although camel racing figures as an attraction in the tourist guides of all Arabcountries, it is a small consolation, at least in Qatar, that not many touristspatronise the event. It is not a spectator sport, as only the first and last 100metres can b e viewed from the gallery. It is a sport in which one participates toenjoy, without exertion.

Some 35 km from the capital Doha, the Al Shahaniya race course attracts hordes oflocals. It is from them that the money comes and to them it reverts. It is for

their sporting pleasures that thousands of childhoods are sacrificed.

Even the local radio and TV stations are full of these races which are held 3-4days at a stretch, once a month. The most recent one was the Middle East Cup.

With barely a handful of tourists around, and being the only woman in thevicinity, it was not so difficult for me to attract the children. As our vehiclepulled into the parking lot, a smile was enough to get an audience. They looked atthe camera curio usly and were surprised at receiving more attention than thecamels. They were mere shadows of children and a larger-than-life reminder of agreat wrong being committed every day, year after year.

As one enters the main racing area, to the left are camels being groomed after the

completion of a race; to the right are the cruelly undernourished, badly-clothedjockeys. At a distance are the worn-out tents where the boys and their trainerslive. As i f to put the inequalities in perspective, off-road vehicles cruise byto take positions next to the track.

The office assistant-cum-videographer of the race course says in hushed tones thatthe boys are having a better time than their predecessors. ``They were given nofood earlier. At least now they get a snack.''

Fatalities and injuries are not rare either. Probe into why some of the camels aregagged and there is more depressing news -- irk the camel and it will turn aroundand sink its teeth into the jockey.

The jockeys' lives are of no value. For every life that is prematurely terminated,there are hundreds waiting to step in. Broken bones are of no concern to anyonebut the young sufferer. They have stepped out of their homelands, entered aforeign land. T here is no looking back. Ever.

Small mercy?

The Qatar Camel Race Committee co-ordinator, Saqr bin Fahd Al Merekhi, unabashedlydefends camel racing. In a recent interview, he refuted allegations that this wasagainst humanity. ``We are giving them a chance to ride. It is not a job or theissue of working. The children are practising a hobby and gaining profit.''

Many of the race enthusiasts proudly state that they were initiated into racing

traditions by their fathers when they were as young as the jockeys themselves.However, their initiation did not require mounting a camel, suffering eternal sorethighs and f requent injuries.

Camels enter professional racing circuits with the loss of their first teeth, theKhajja, usually at the age of three. When they lose their suckling teeth, theThaniya, at five years, the camels are allowed to enter competitions longer than 6km. With th e loss of another four teeth, they can run the 8-10 km course. As forthe jockeys, the Qatar authorities have stipulated an eight-month training periodbefore they are allowed to compete.

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In 1993, UAE had banned the use of small boys in the races and specified that thejockeys should not weigh less than 45 kg. But the ban has made little difference.

Initially the jockeys get obedient camels. Once they get used to riding, they aregiven tougher camels. They are taught to take the reins in the left hand and thecrop in the right. They are taught to grab the reins, loosen it, twirl the crop bythe came l's ear and to push. They are also taught not to be children.

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