“The memories of those dark days of my life still haunts me. My mother was on the death bed and my father used to do all the domestic chores as well as took care of mother and us” said a teary-eyed Yash Pal. Yash was barely 14 years old when he lost her mother to Blood Cancer.
The family of Ram Vilas (father of Yash) resides in Peeli Kothi (an adjacent shanty cluster of Asha's Mayapuri slum community) for years. Yash and his sister were quite young when they realised that their mother was not keeping well. Before they could sense further, their mother had already left for her final abode for she could not fight the disease. The traumatised family, she left behind, took years to come out of the shock.
After her death, Ram Vilas also started keeping unwell. Looking at how the father used to struggle every day to make the ends meet, Yash also started assisting him in his work as a Screen Printer. "My father does not want me to work with him. He says, you are not meant for this; I want you to grow and earn a dignified life ahead," says Yash. He also says that his father dreams about his children pursuing University Education.
One day, Asha Ambassadors, who were on a visit around the new slum areas, bumped into Yash at his shanty some two years back. He was visibly introvert but had a zeal to make his life better. Asha Ambassadors and the Team started meeting him on an everyday basis only to guide and direct him well for his school leaving exams. "This was the first time I found someone genuinely interested in helping me. I couldn't stop and enrolled myself at nearby Asha centre. Sharing doubts and discussing question bank material with my peer group made me confident on the subjects. "I was in class 11 when I joined Asha and I am thankful to them. When I entered the centre first day, I remember a lady clad in a saree wearing a big smile and she warmly welcomed me. I found a mother, whom I had long lost, in Thresi ma’am and never have to fear for anything else around her since then. I remember her making my life comfortable when I used to go to the centre to study. She used to make sure that I was well fed and treated me like one of her children. And now, I cannot imagine a day without meeting her. Not only with the right guidance and support but the warmth and motherly affection that grew with her, I could score above 80% and also, got the highest marks, 97, in the subject of Political Science," quoted Yash.
Now, Yash Pal and Ms Thresi are both working hard to get him admitted to University so that he could pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
