Have you ever thought of walking down across the streets of Delhi and that too in an early hour of Sunday morning. Yes we were wide awake, to experience the break of dawn. The purpose was to cherish the rising dreams visible in the eyes of a young street boy, the dreams as vibrant as those city lanes he took us to. The walk was supposed to be led by the guide of the day -Ajay alias Max-as he loves to be called as. The journey started through the backstreets of Delhi, followed by his experiences, his attachment with the place as couple of his childhood years were spent on the same streets. What bought him there, how he'd spent his life , what odds he'd faced, how and what led to transformation in his life, were some tit-bits of instances being shared by him. So it was more of a walk towards the memory lane for him, 'Walking the past in the present'.
Ajay was one among those thousands who chose railway station as a mere shelter for them, having no clue of home or family. Drug addiction, starvation, pick-pocketing were something that came as part and parcel for Max during that period of life. As it's well said that 'every dog has it's day', there came a turning point in his life. His face shone with glitter of pride as he mentioned how SBT discovered him. Max continued by telling about his transformation from a drug addict then, to a chocolate lover now, from bullying around then to spending his hours in learning now. Yes, he is entirely transformed, a change leading to betterment of society, a change which could be felt. Ajay has a strong mission now, the power to chase his dreams. He has left behind his past and moving forward, not only earning today but studying and learning foreign languages as well, which was highly remarkable and solely motivating for us. A clear vision could be seen in his eyes when he told his dream to become a train driver, owing to his deep attachment for providing him roof. His deterministic attitude while sharing his future plan to go abroad for higher studies, is something worth mentioning. His words were an eye-opener for us, his story was a spark enough to ignite us. The way he expressed, the confidence he carried, the smile throughout on his face was enough to leave a strong imprint on everyone's heart.
Followed by few more streets, railway station of course, he took us to one of SBT's shelter homes for small children. It was an awful experience, seeing such small children over there, those innocent faces, all clueless and homeless, surely insisted us to think about the cruelty of life. It was a totally incomparable experience, spending some time with those 'bundle of joys' who splashed the aura with their talents.
SBT, you deserve an applause for restoring the world of childhood, taking them from a dark end towards the brightness of new learning, showing a ray of new hope.This is indeed a marvelous effort.!!!
P.S. - 'Salam Balak Trust' City Walk is a program that aims at making us aware about the street life through the stories of street children who'd lived their lives through these streets, and thus it's a unique way of providing an insight into the lives of these children and an opportunity for them to improve their communication and speaking skills.
