Humans of Bombay Part 1

The fate of India may change when education reaches every village. But until that happens, a handful of young men and women will continue to fight their circumstances and government apathy, to rise above their deprivation. In this cover, we bring you such stories of hardship and struggle, of people born in places with limited means with unlimited dreams

Imagine you’d grown up as the son of a violent, alcoholic father and a disengaged and devoutly religious mother. You had been abused from a young age. As a frightened eight year old, you began to drink alcohol to numb the pain. By the age of 11, you were taking Heroin. As a teenager, your Heroin addiction led you into a life of crime and by the age of 16, you were locked up in a young offenders institution.

Vikram’s father died when he was in class 12th due to kidney failure. Although he wasn’t close to his father, he still loved him. He recalls his last few days with his father when he had to be given dialysis every three days. He would cry to see his father in pain. Besides, he was answering his board exams during that time. His mother wept inconsolably as she knew she would have to take care of her young sons alone at the age of fifty two. A month of pain and stress and tirelessly making ends meet with his father’s own savings of his government officer’s post, he passed away in March 2010.Vikram couldn’t concentrate on his studies he failed that year with no hopes of going back to college. Vikram’s elder brother was a tailor after months of embarrasement he had to face because of his brother.

Vikram recalls going to college in an Ambassador car which was his father’s. He says, “I would always walk with pride and confidence everywhere I went. People would not know me but that didn’t matter as the car would give me all the respect I needed. But the day I put behind bars, my dad didn’t come to bail me out saying that I should learn a lesson and never deal with drugs again. Of course I was angry, if he wanted he could bail me out as he had the power and the money to do so. But he didn’t even after I pleaded and begged of him. I served a period of one year in jail. I didn’t go to college for a year after I was out of prison, society would look down at us and comment cheaply about my family. One day I woke up wanting to change myself and start a new. I answered my 11th std, the following year dad passed away so I lost a year again. Well I didn’t do that great but I cleared my board exams.

I wanted to do something for my family so I started taking dance classes in my parking lot to be specific Zumba dance classes. Initially I had only two students, then these two students wanted company so well I had a few more. Eventually I had to hire a place to take my Zumba classes since my society would have a problem. I did well for two years when my family wanted to move to Pune. I found it very difficult to conduct Zumba classes here, Zumba was a new concept. Only a 12th pass I had no decent job that I could apply for. I happened to visit this rehab for drug addicts and realised my dad’s friend works there. Well through influence of course I got a job there, I help all these young boys and girls, especially the ones who are really very young. I didn’t kill my passion for dance either. I taught these young kids to dance and hope for a better life. Besides dance, I teach them life lessons something that my dad taught me. I’m so grateful my dad didn’t bail me out that night. I wouldn’t have been here today, I would have probably been a drug addict for life. But I wish my dad wasn’t alcoholic may be I would have loved him for who he was and not just for being my biological father.