The Delhi Pogrom, 2020 had a devastating impact on countless families, including that of Anas, a 12-year-old boy from Shiv Vihar. Anas’ father, Jamaluddin, who worked as a bakery product seller and was the sole breadwinner of the family, was brutally lynched during the violence.
With the loss of Jamaluddin, the entire responsibility fell upon the shoulders of Anas, his eldest son. To make his life a bright one, the Shaagird Foundation, with the unwavering support of its volunteers, sponsored Anas’s education and enrolled him in ‘Sunrise Public School.’
The foundation believes everyone deserves a quality education, regardless of life’s disruptions. Whether facing pandemics, natural disasters, or human conflict, Shaagird is there to bridge the gap.Anas, with the assistance of Shaagird, gets educational resources that foster his understanding, empathy and critical thinking skills needed to tackle social injustices and build a more just world.
At Sunrise, he transforms his personality and studies English, Hindi, Math, Science and Computer with keen interest. Education has become his best friend and a way to erase the scars of his dark past.
He embraces the importance of education and knows that this is the only ladder that can elevate the condition of his family and help them meet both ends. With zeal and interest, he studies and is good with numbers.On being asked about his future endeavours, he said, “I want to be a pilot.” He dreams of racing with the clouds and building a castle on them.
Sunrise Public School has become his new ray of hope, bringing back the dawn of new glimmer and rays!At school, he learns from and beyond textbooks. He just does not learn about the biographies of his favourite cricketers but hits the ball with his bat in the playground, just like his favourite cricketers.
He visits trade fairs and science museums to learn the practicality of the subjects, and when inquisitive, he asks a series of questions from his mentors. Their mother, once shrouded in despair, found solace in Shaagird’s support. Education, a gift long denied, became her weapon against vulnerability.
Shaagird is providing education to his younger brothers, Asad, Ayan and Arman, with opportunities to build their futures and support their mother. They are constantly learning and dreaming of becoming doctors and social workers, so as to curtail the ailments of society
Today, the Anas family stands as a testament to Shaagird’s transformative power. The riots may have stolen their past, but Shaagird gifted them a future brimming with colour. Anas, the aspiring pilot, dreams not just of soaring through the clouds, but of building a future as bright and hopeful as the sky itself. His brothers, fueled by their newfound knowledge, envision a world healed and uplifted. Shaagird’s story isn’t just about filling bellies or mending roofs. It’s about painting hope onto the canvas of despair, about empowering individuals to become the vibrant colors that will redefine their world. It’s a story waiting to be continued, a story where every child, every family, has the chance to paint their own masterpiece.
Shaagird Foundation wishes them good luck and hopes to see them grow and glow!
