Rahul
Age: 16

“I am in Class 10 now. I like Maths, it’s engaging. I hate all other subjects. I had to quit studying in between because we had no money. The school I was studying in was demanding a lot more money. My parents sell vegetables just around the corner. My mother sits at the cart in the morning and my father sits in the evening. I help them as much as I can at the cart by attending to customers, breaking the vegetables, etc. I am the oldest son; I have three siblings who are all studying in a government school. I dropped out from regular schooling because the admission process was tedious. I was made to run from pillar to post for unnecessary signatures and documents. I was studying in a hostel in Rajasthan till Class 9. I used to miss my parents. I moved here in the hope of going to a school that isn’t as expensive and because I could stay with my family. My parents often tell me that I should focus on studying so that I don’t have to sell vegetables for a livelihood. I want to study because I don’t want to become a gunda, awara (goon).  I want to become a policeman when I grow up. I like the idea of beating up goons.”

– As told to Tania Goklany. She met Rahul at Samiksha Shiksha Sanstha in Delhi’s Sangam Vihar.