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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