Armed with Life Skills
Mishba has not disclosed her dream to her family members yet. She believes her thoughts will be considered audacious and her family may decide to marry her off. She explains, “I am waiting for the right time to tell my parents.
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Struggle to Strength: Rabeya’s Story
Rabeya Molla is one of the many young girls from Jayanagar, who has faced countless struggles, especially during the pandemic. While her story is similar to that of many other young girls in her community, the ending is quite different…
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A Priceless Gift
Sulekha studies in the eighth standard of a school in her village. Maulana Buddhu Chak
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Living and earning in Mumbai city: Amit Mane’s story
21-year-old Amit Mane came to Mumbai with a small bag of clothes, a certificate confirming that he had cleared 12th standard from a junior college in Sangli, a small district in the Indian state of Maharashtra, and a desperate need for a job.
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Meet a 13-year-old who can see her future
Sanchita Dangore is 13 years old, studying in the eighth standard of Municipal school
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A breakthrough: Kajal’s story
Kajal started looking for a job on completing 12th standard...
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I found my dream while looking for a job: Pooja Kumari’s story
18-year-old Pooja Kumari knows how to handle rejection while looking out for jobs
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The story of a turning point: Shashikant Arde from Mumbai
Shashikant Arde is 27 year old and lives in a chawl in Bhandup, West. Bhandup is located in the central suburbs of the city of Mumbai in Maharashtra.
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Emerging from the Shadows - Bhupender’s Story
After his father’s death, 12-year-old Bhupender lost his will to study and to play.
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Pallavi - Homemaker- and-breadwinner rolled into one
31-year-old Pallavi lives with her two sons, Shreyas and Ayush, in a rented house at Kharadi in Pune. Pallavi completed her 12 th standard and was married off.
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Renuka on her path of empowerment
Renuka, 23, wanted to be a Chartered Accountant and build a dream house for her family. A resident of Delhi, Renuka lives with her parents and younger brother. The latter has only recently completed his secondary education. Her father works as a bus driver in a private company and her mother is a homemaker....
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In pursuit of work: Vikas’s story
"I never imagined any company would hire me," says 22-year-old Vikas from Chamle village of Bhiwandi, a town located almost 36km away from the city of Mumbai. Vikas’s parents are farmers with an income of Rs. 5,000 a month. Their family of five was surviving on this. Vikas didn’t have the means to opt for college...
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The journey back to school: Mohsin's story
Rajasthan accounts for nearly 10% of the total child labour in the country with Jaipur alone having more than 50,000 child labourers in the age group of 5-14 years. The state stands third after UP and Andhra Pradesh as far as child labourers are concerned.(TOI, Mar 12, 2013) One in every 11 children in India is working. (Mint, Jun12, 2015)
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An entrepreneur-in-the-making: Shashikant Jaiswal’s story
Twenty-year-old Shashikant Jaiswal can tell you the exact date when Mahatma Phule Nagar, a slum cluster adjacent to IIT Bombay, came up. “It was in 1991 that migrants living near the Powai Lake were moved here following a beautification drive of the city,” he explains, adding “A large number of our neighbours are migrants from Maharashtra, mostly from Satara and Aurangabad. Those from UP and Bihar are in a minority like us,” he adds with a smile.
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The girl with big dreams and a bigger determination to fulfill them: Sravya Madasu from Telangana
14-year-old Sravya Madasu wants to be a doctor. “There are no hospitals in the radius of 10 km of our village. It is so difficult to get a doctor during emergencies. I want to be the first doctor of Pudur village and open a hospital in my community.” Sravya goes to a government school in Bollaram and is ‘happy’ that her mother cannot afford to send her to a private school. “Would I have met Magic Bus had I been studying in a private school?” she asks innocently.
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She finds her feet
After years of domestic abuse, this 29-year-old not only decides to break out of it but also finds a way to be independent while fighting those mindsets that subjugate women in all societies. “I did not know I could be anything apart from a daily wager, just like my parents,” says 29-year-old Sashwati
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Paving her way towards her dreams: Asma from Mysore city
“All my siblings are married. My brothers continue to work odd jobs after marriage. My sisters are homemakers. My father was never in favour of girls’ working outside their homes. That way, my siblings are living to our father’s wishes,” Asma (21) says with a shy smile.
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The way to the classroom: Phoolwanti’s story from Bihar
“Bihar has nearly 2.2 million Musahars, according to the state Mahadalit Commission’s interim report. Community activists, however, claim that the population of Musahars cannot be fewer than three million in Bihar. About 96.3 percent of them are landless and 92.5 percent work as farm labour.
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Dreams with responsibilities: Vaishnavi’s story from rural Maharashtra
Vaishnavi Kathelkar is 19 years old. She is in the final year of graduation and wants to pursue post graduation afterward. She belongs to Chinchala village in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.
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The Zeal to Excel
Johar and his family of seven members—including his paternal uncle—live in a make-shift tin shanty. He is the oldest among his siblings. His father and uncle are both carpenters and his mother is a housewife.
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Walking Towards a Brighter Future
Salman Sheikh is a young boy in class 7, having a problem of a small foot. This made him extremely self-conscious and non-participatory in play activities, despite being quite interested and intelligent in his studies. He also faced a lot of peer pressure wherein, he used to be bullied for his small foot problem.
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The Freedom to Play, The Freedom to Dream
Shrutika Bandu Devgade is a Class 7 student, and hails from a family of 3 siblings and her parents. Shrutika’s father (Bandu) and mother (Kalpana) are both B.A. (Bachelor of Arts – Year 2) drop outs.
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Turning Tables: Priyanka’s journey to becoming a young leader in her community
16-year-old Priyanka Kumari lives with her family of six members in Tughlaqabad village, a slum cluster that grew on a disputed land and still continues to bear the brunt of fear and dispossession.
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Inspiring a generation of girls in her community: Nazmeen from Delhi
19-year-old Nazmeen lives at Haiderpur in north Delhi. Her father migrated from Bihar in search of better livelihood opportunities leaving his wife, Nazmeen’s mother, behind. Nazmeen was not even born then.
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Divya Mahawar: Dreaming of an equal world
“A girl is no less than a boy. We learnt it in a session. Then, why should she not go to school? Why should she get married?” 12-year-old Divya lives in Shanker Nagar in Jaipur, a hilly area surrounded by the historic forts of Nahargarh and Amber.
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Choosing to be independent despite odds: Bi Bi Sara Fatima
21-year-old Sara Fatima belongs to Mysore and has been in the city all her life. She lives with her parents, a younger sister and her paternal grandmother in Shanthinagar slum cluster of Mysore.
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Mentor. Guide. Leader - Gulafsha Khan's story
Not far from the historic city of the erstwhile Mughal Rulers, Delhi, is the large settlement colony of Bhalswa. In stark contrast to the grandeur of the capital city, Bhalswa can best be described as Delhi’s largest dumping ground.
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Finding a way out of poverty: Keerthi's story
“I don’t know if I could be happier. I believe this is the best thing that has happened to me in the last 21 years”, says Keerthi, his excitement seeping through his otherwise calm voice.
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A story of exemplary courage: Meet D. Prakash Rao from Cuttack, Odisha
A year ago, when the TV show Satyamev Jayate showcased Magic Bus’ work in moving children from poverty, 57-year-old D.Prakash Rao was one of the millions of viewers.
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When giving up was a better option than giving in: Naseem speaks about overcoming addiction
Before it turns your health upside down, addiction plays havoc with a person’s will power. “Nasha was my life. I would begin and end my day with it. I had lost count of days, months, and years that had flown past me while I was in nasha”,
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Small town, big dreams ? Kowsalya’s story
A year ago, it was rare for girls of V.R.P. Chatram community to step out and participate in outdoor activities. V.R.P. Chatram is a semi-rural suburb near Chennai.
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From Dharavi to a Magic Bus Peer Leader: Suryakant's story
20-year-old Suryakant dreams to be a businessman and take his parents on a world trip. ‘My father is a cobbler; my mother, a home-maker.
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Breaking the poverty cycle: Nagma's story
Meet Nagma, Magic Bus Peer Leader, who fought against all odds to pursue a life of her choice - to be a footballer.
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When courage triumphed: Shivam’s story
Shivam, 18, lay in his bed at Safdarjung Hospital surrounded by a stack of books. Time and again, he would flip through books as the medicines kept the pain away. A battle raged in his mind as he feverishly tried to remember facts..
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Out of Wed-lock: Savitri’s story of escaping child marriage
“I was just six months old when my father past away. I have seen my mother toil everyday to make ends meet”, says Savitri. 17-year-old Savitri lives in the by-lanes of Timarpur in north Delhi.
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Breaking Barriers:Jolly Dass, Magic Bus community youth leader, shares her journey
I am Jolly. I am 20 year old and study Hindi literature at the Jesus and Mary College in Delhi University. This is where I live. You must not have heard of Sant Nagar in Delhi, have you?
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The wind beneath her wings:Ruby’s Story
18-year-old Ruby’s voice breaks into a wry smile when she thinks about her life before Magic Bus. Ruby is Magic Bus’ Community Youth Leader from Bhalaswa. Bhalaswa is a 15-year-old settlement which was formed after an eviction drive...
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Rugby as a way of Life
“The magic happened 12 years ago when I was introduced to rugby,” says Ravi excitedly. “When I first saw the rugby ball, I thought it was some sort of an inflated egg!” adds Ravin, mischievously.
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Delhi Begumpur Community’s Girl Child Star: Sonu
Sixteen-year old Sonu lives in the Begumpur Community in South Delhi. Health, hygiene and education issues affect the community, and most children don't go to school regularly. Residents are mostly forced migrants from the East Indian...
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Case story > Magic Bus Programme > Ritu Pawa, Girl, 14 years
Ritu exchanges traditional roles for girls with her friend Tanu from the Magic Bus Tughlakabad community. Ritu shares her small home in the slums of Tughlakabad with her 7-member family.
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Case story > Magic Bus Connect Programme > Pardeep Kumar, Age 20
Pardeep lives with his parents and four siblings in a single room in JJ Colony within one of the largest resettlement slums in Delhi, Bhalswa. This 14-year-old community is mainly inhabited by migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
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Case Story: Salman Baig - Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) & Magic Bus Partnership
The Magic Bus’ Bangalore programme started in Doddananagar Slum Community in November 2011. For community inhabitants livelihood sources include tile making, agarbathi (incense stick) making, beedi (Indian cigarette) rolling...
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Celebrating the Girl Child: My Life, My Fight and My Decision
10-year old Poornima from a poverty-stricken family in Jayanagar, Bangalore, has defeated difficult circumstances with her desire and exceptional talent. Poornima, studying in grade 5 at a Government school, was a shy...
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Incredible Stories on Empowerment - Parvati Pujari
"I, Parvati Pujari, am a National Junior Trainer with Magic Bus in Mumbai. My struggle to reach where I am today is a story worth sharing. I was born on 16th August 1990 at Bhabha Hospital in Mumbai.
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Back to school with Farhan Sharif
It was over 15 months ago that Magic Bus mentor Shahbaz Pasha, in his constant endeavour to reach out to more and more children in the Haleem Nagar community, approached Farhan...
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The New Alchemy ? Walking Down The Magic Bus Boulevard
Magic Bus Intern Priyanka Swami shares her experience of the first Magic Bus session she attended as she went Pilelo-Ho.
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