Fugitive on her way to freedom

She blends in with ease in the evening crowd of a Bandra cafe in Mumbai. One would think she’s just another teenager; but you have to listen to, or at least read, her story to know why this one is extraordinary.

On June 5, Ashwini’s story went viral on social media as soon as it was posted on the Facebook page of Humans of Bombay. When we went to press, it had about 20,000 likes and 1,700 shares. A crowdfunding campaign on Ketto to finance her room and board while she pursues a scholarship in New York, surpassed the goal of Rs 10 lakh within three days. On being told she was now an Internet celebrity, Ashwini can’t help but blush.

Struggling with English Vinglish

After living with her mother, a sex worker, in Mumbai’s Kamathipura for till she was seven, Ashwini was sent to an NGO-run shelter home by her mother with the hope that Ashwini would receive education. Moving from a Marathi to English-medium school marked the beginning of her challenges. Before she could get comfortable in the new school, she was packed off to another, and then another. 

The self-confessed ‘good student’ enjoyed learning, but the shelter home she lived in for nine years was run with an iron fist. She and her friends were punished, often beaten and their movements restricted, if they scored poorly in exams. Ashwini was allowed to see her mother once a month, and when she passed away, Ashwini was granted just a few minutes to glance at her mother’s face for the last time.

Teen trouble

Once Ashwini and her friends moved on to Junior College, the worst mistake they could make was being spotted with a male friend. One of her friends was locked up for nine months for the offence. When her best friend Danish ran away, Ashwini was confined for two months on the premise that she would too. But as soon as she was reunited with Danish in college, a hope for freedom had taken birth. All she wanted was to live life like any other girl her age. She describes in animated detail, the excitement and fear of the day she ran away, and came to Kranti, the foundation that has been sheltering her for the last two years. No sooner had she come to Kranti, her former shelter home set cops on her.

Healing effect of art

Ever since she has been under Kranti’s wing, Ashwini has shuttled across the country, travelling to Kolkata, Himachal, Nepal in order to dodge the police. In the bargain, the last two years of her life have been a series of adventures. 

“Everyone needs therapy,” she says confidently, as she talks about her own experience with therapy, and how it is helping her evolve past the trauma. Ashwini enjoyed art since school, but didn’t paint as much, given it wasn’t a source of scoring marks. Art helps Ashwini express complex feelings. It was during her time as a volunteer at the Tata Memorial Hospital last year, when she discovered the healing effect of art. “Looking at such small children with cancer brightening up while drawing and colouring made me feel very good,” she shares. This was the turning point in Ashwini’s life. She decided to pursue a career in art therapy.

New adventures in new pastures

At the time of this interview, Ashwini was working on a video to express her gratitude for the support she had received. “I keep looking at the comments on the post and I want to reply thank you to each one of them,” she says, trying to explain how overwhelmed she was by the speed at which people had helped her. While she is looking forward to begin her new adventure in September, her old frenemy — English — has reared its head again. Doubts overtake her mind often, but she says, “The confidence that people have shown in me is now giving me the courage to take a chance yet again.”