Meet Sheetal Jain. She's 19, in 10th grade and loves to dance and play drums. A normal teenage life? Not for her, she grew up in Mumbai's red-light area. Her mother is a sex worker and she has never met her father. Growing up was not easy, she faced violence, rape and discrimination.
Growing up in Asia’s largest red-light district, people often taunted her saying that she would end up either as a bar dancer or a sex worker, just like her mother. This did not stop her from dreaming, she's courageous, optimistic, and is eager to make a difference.
In SheetaI's own words
I was taught that "a prostitute's daughter will only be a prostitute" and I was never allowed to have big dreams. But when I came to Kranti NGO, I studied, I had therapy, and most importantly, I had the chance to dream. I also found my passion in life - playing the drums.
Children are encouraged to follow their dreams, why should it be different for Sheetal?
With a disrupted childhood, Sheetal enrolled in only three years of school. Studies are not her strong point; she wasn’t able to clear her recent Class 10 exams. She could either learn a trade to eke out a living. Or, she could struggle through an Open University.
However, Sheetal had begun to dream: “I always loved the sound that came out of drums; I found solace in music. What if more children could have that?” With a little initial training, she proved to have a natural ability for the drums. She applied to music schools in Mumbai, but they take in only Class 10 or Class 12 graduates. Meanwhile, the Levine School of Music in Washington D.C., USA, accepted her application, for their 1-year diploma program.
What does she hope to achieve?
In her own words: “I want to bring music to my community. I will use the skills and experience I acquire to start a music program in Kamathipura, because music is amazing therapy. I want to help other girls from my community get their chance at dreaming big.”
I have seen music serve as a powerful tool for social change. People play the drums to protest, fundraise, and entertain. I want to help sex workers and their kids to use music to fight for their rights, especially when they are protesting police brutality and other big problems.”
I also want the opportunity to live and study abroad: a childhood dream that I, a sex worker's daughter, never thought would come true. I believe the experience will help me as a person, and as a leader.”
The only thing standing in Sheetal’s way is financing her trip, tuition and stay in the US. We are actively raising funds to help her dream come true. As of 5 December, we have already raised ₹ 3,58,000 but there's a long way to go and we need your support. We urge you to help Sheetal realize her dream.
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