Child labour survivor to top varsity's fellow: Rajasthan boy scripts a story of change

Aditi Tandon

 Tribune News Service

 New Delhi, June 27

 Invisibility to hope, Rajasthan boy Shubham Rathore has come a long way. Not too long ago, he was one among many child labourers at a Mandsaur eatery working strenuous night shifts in exchange for food.

 Today at 25 years of age, Shubham is among the few winners of the Ashoka University Young India Fellowship, a coveted and competitive programme that assesses applicants’ academic and non academic journeys to pick the best in the field and help them realize their full potential.

 “Life is a constant journey towards self renewal,” says the young boy from Pratapgarh, who had migrated to Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur as a 13-year-old to support his family with finances.

 “I used to work the night shift (8 pm to 10 am) at a restaurant and was not paid anything. A meal was all I got,” recalls Shubham, rescued in 2009 by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi run Bachpan Bachao Andolan which placed him at a Jaipur facility for long term rehabilitation.

 It was from that moment on that Shubham began dreaming about a better future.

 “My first memory is of Kailash Satyarthi ji asking us about our dreams for the future. I had no idea what to say but he told us that a life without a dream was meaningless. That was the day I began dreaming,” notes the child labour survivor who went on to complete his electrical engineering UG degree from Laxmi Devi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Alwar and eventually landed a job at POWERGRID in the national capital.

 From August 2 this year, Shubham will enter a new phase of life as the Ashoka Young Fellow pursuing dreams of social renewal.

 “Bal Ashram at Jaipur brought me alive to my rights. I created a children’s group in my school and initiated dialogues with the administration to ensure drinking water and sanitation for students. Later in life I took part in As a fellow at Ashoka, I plan to gain greater intellectual depth to sustain my life’s mission of furthering child protection,” says Shubham.

 Karan Bhola, Director YIF at Ashoka, said the varsity was looking forward to seeing Shubham at the programme and support him and his cohort mates to achieve their life’s mission.

 As for Shubham, memories of past life do not haunt him.

 “Adversity is a source of strength, not weakness. When I look back at my journey, I feel proud counting the milestones. I have many more to cross though,” says the boy whose younger brother Vaibhav was also in the batch of five kids whom Bachpan Bachao Andolan rescued from Mandsaur in 2009, changing their life courses forever.