The pandemic has uprooted lives. Among the worst-hit are kids from needy homes, many of whom are being forced to abandon studies and work, or juggle the two S L Shanth Kumar on childhoods interrupted in Mumbai.
Dharavi’s Kabaddi Player Sells Masks Outside Ground
Aishwarya Vijapurkar, an amateur kabaddi player from Dharavi, fears she’ll lose the game to this pandemic. These days, the 12-year-old sits outside the kabbadi ground to sell masks, garbage bags, cutlery items, and other knick-knacks.
Until last year’s lockdown, the family had a smooth life. Aishwarya’s father worked as a security guard on contract. But now, with offices shut, he has no job. So, Aishwarya has to be at their roadside stall right outside the ground where she plays kabaddi under the tutelage of a state-level player.
Aishwarya is up around 5-am to go play kabaddi with other kids. By 8, she is back to the ground to sell the household items while her father goes scouting for odd jobs. By 9:30, Aishwarya rushes home. She and her sister, students of our lady of Good Counsel, Sion, take turns to use their dad’s cell phone for an online class. After class, Aishwarya joins her father again to help him at the roadside “shop”. The girls say she is ready to work hard and study too. But she is very keen to put her best foot forward on the kabaddi ground and doesn’t want to lose. Time alone will tell if the girl will emerge victoriously.
