My work.
What I did, what I am doing, and what I dream of doing in future...........
I was around 7 or 8 years old, when I started working.
My first work was begging, yes, begging at HajI Ali Tomb, Mumbai.
Though my father didn’t allow this, my sister and I had to do it for our food. We (My sister and I) used to go to Haji Ali every evening to get some food for us and for our mom.
Days and months passed like that and I started noticing that my mom collected old and used materials like plastic, iron, steel, coconuts, bottles and others stuff from the seashore to sell them to get some money for us. So I decided to join her in her work.
I don’t remember for how long I did that but I remember for two or three Eid festivals we bought clothes from that money.
Few years later when I was around 11 years old I started selling books at Haji Ali Signal (Traffic light). I still remember, The Other Side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon was the first book I sold on my very first day at the traffic light.
I think coming onto the signal was one of the transforming decisions of my life. I have not only earned required money from there but also learnt so much.
It was my home, my office and also my school. Whenever I was hungry or needed any money. I just had to pick up the books and had to go to the signal. I also started asking my customers to help me in reading English. I used to ask about the title of the books and the meaning and how to read, what is written on the books.
Well… I used to work only from Monday to Saturday and on Sundays I worked on the Stalls (Non-authorized stalls on the roadside). These are the stalls of Nimbu Paani (Lemon Juice) or Vada Pav (A kind of a snack that looks like a burger) or sometimes costume jewelry.
Selling books was always fun. I never felt like I was working. There was always something interesting and enjoyable.
I met a lot film stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amir Khan, Hritik Roshan, Govinda, Akshay Kumar, and many others.
I would say, "I think I have met almost all the Bollywood actors and actresses".
I have also met cricketers like MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Mohammad Kaif, Partiv Patel, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and others too. I met some international stars like Rey Mysterio and John Cena (WWE wrestlers) and Johnny Depp (Hollywood actor).
Many times, people didn’t pay for the books and drove away, and there were also times when people paid extra for our hard work.
I ran thousands of kilometers behind the cars during my time on the signal. But never felt lost, even when people ran away without paying. I always felt that my life is fun. There were no dreams, there were no fear of loss, there were no planning for tomorrow, there were no rush for so called monetary success. There was only today and tonight.
Signal is also a place where I met Caroline Didi (Mentor, Teacher, Sister and Mother)
Please read my previous article on ANGEL to know more about how I met Caroline didi and how that meeting transformed my life.
It was also a place where I learnt to be an independent, and a responsible person.
After giving my 10th grade examination I joined The Foundation, a non-profit organization, run by Rahul Bose (a Bollywood actor, director, rugby player and a social activist).
I worked there as an office boy for four months and then left and went back to the signal. During this phase of my life I also worked as a waiter in marriages and as a bar tender in parties. That’s how I gained some knowledge about wine and other drinks.
Well… all these jobs were not my full-time work. I did all these for a couple of months and then left them. During my 12th grade I started working with a Senior Agency (an authorized distributor of Godrej Safe) as a sales man. Unfortunately, or fortunately I didn’t do any good over there too and had to leave after four months.
I think there was something else that was waiting for me. Something which I really wanted to do or something which I would love to do, and would never want to quit.
Yes! That is tourism.
Few months later I joined Mumbai Magic as a student tour guide in Mumbai.
Today it’s been four years and I am still working as a tour guide in Mumbai and worked in the admin department of the same company for one year and six months. From the last year I started working with another tour company called Be The Local as a tour guide in Mumbai.
Today, I dream of "Starting my own tour company for students like me, who face a lot of problems while completing their education. I want to create a platform for these students so that they would get some financial support while studying.
I have learnt through my life that, if you have vision, then no matter where and what you are, start from there. "When there is will, there is a way".
