When nine-year-old Vijay Kumar embarked on his first-ever train journey from a small village of Bihar's Muzaffarpur district to the Capital in the summer of 2003, little did he know that his life would change forever. The class IV student fell into the vicious cycle of child labour in the city. Fifteen years down the line, overcoming all odds, he has become a messiah for vulnerable street children.
Kumar, third of his four siblings, was born to a poverty-stricken couple of Dinesh Mehto, an alcoholic rickshaw puller, and Leela Devi in 1994. "We had only one earning hand, my elder brother, who used to work here in a wood factory. He took me along during the summer break of 2003. I did not know that he wanted me to join him at work," he said.
The little boy started working as a helper with his brother for a wage of Rs 30 per week. "I used to work so hard but still would have nothing to eat. My brother would send more than half of the earnings to my mother," he recalls.
"I started hanging out with the children in the slum and started consuming drugs," he said. Kumar's life took a turn, when volunteers of an NGO Chetna, reached his jhuggi in Kirti Nagar. "They were organising a cricket tournament for jhuggi children. I was so excited to join the team," he said. With the help of the NGO, Kumar was enrolled in class VIth in 2006.
"I used to go to school in the morning and work in a DVC factory in the evening. I collapsed after eight months and dropped out of the school," Kumar said. He completed his schooling through an open school in 2013 and is now pursuing Bachelor of Social Work from IGNOU.
Director of Chetna Sanjay Gupta calls Kumar, who is now working on a project to empower out-of-school and street children, an example for such children. "His only mission is to help children like him to live a normal life. He has helped the police bust at least three factories that indulged in child labour. He was not aware of his rights back then. But, now he wants every child to get an education," Gupta said.
A LITTLE DETAIL
- Vikas Kumar is now working on a project to empower out-of-school and street children.
- Director of Chetna Sanjay Gupta calls Kumar an example for such children.
- Kumar’s only mission is to help children like him to live a normal life.
