Mumbai, a city that inspires millions to follow their dreams has been a proud host of countless stories of people who have achieved great success in her ambits. But a close look at the city and you would know that the city which is synonymous with prosperity and wealth also harbors countless souls suffering to meet ends meet on a daily basis. My story is one such story of struggle.
I grew up in Wagle Estate, a region on the outskirts of Mumbai. A place which was once a famous industrial hub was now just remains of its once prosperous past. As a family of 5, we stayed in a fragile three-storey chawl in a 200 sq.ft room or Kholi as we called it. With no proper supply of tap water, each member in the family had to fetch water from a tank situated on the ground floor from a tank with shared a wall with an open gutter. Though an abysmal situation I still remember the fun we had as kids when our father assigned task to all of us siblings and we as diligent soldiers carried out our task efficiently climbing 3 storeys with containers filled with water, emptying them in a larger container at home and repeating the task until we had enough for the entire family. Unlike other kids who received their lessons in teamwork from sports, I received my lesson from this task of self-sufficiency. Life went by and I became comfortable in my inconvenient but happy life, however, there was more in store.
When I was 10, I observed blood coming out of my urine. I was diagnosed with kidney failure and was advised to get it removed before the infection spreads to other organs. My economically weak parents who had big dreams for their kids now had an even bigger mountain to scale whilst I was completely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. A lot happened in the two years to follow with several unsuccessful attempts made to cure my situation. The entire family stuck with each other, working hard each day to fulfill the additional expense and helped me recuperate from my situation. This period in my life helped me build deep respect for my family, one which I still hold close to my heart.
Life slowly but steadily took a turn for good. Due to a deep respect for education that has been inculcated in me by my father, I excelled academically. During the same period, the family's economic condition improved. I got a professional opportunity with one of the largest conglomerates in India where I received significant success. Later with the motivation from my family and superiors, I decided to obtain a management degree which led me to one of the most respected management institutions in India.
My story is a work in progress but if asked to be summarized it is a story of hard work, deep family values and an ongoing pursuit for knowledge.
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