In the eyes of many activists, India’s labor contractors are the modern-day equivalent of slave traders. In the eyes of others, they are employment agents giving people an opportunity to work. They advance loans, and through black market muscle ensure the workers do their bidding. They calculate interest and payment schedules in sums that rarely add up, thus producing a debt that puts the worker and his or her family into bondage. With illiteracy rampant and education minimal, most have no idea what they are getting into.
