Aanand Nagvanshi
My love for theatre brought me back to the slums of Delhi, where my family lived in a cramped 8×10-square-foot room. Everyone, regardless of age, chipped in to survive. I worked multiple jobs, including scavenging, security guard, data entry operator, Uber rider, and hotel worker. Having firsthand experience with the struggles of slum children, I use theater to help them identify their goals beyond the slum and pursue them.
Growing up in a slum area, I shared an 8×10-foot room with my parents and four siblings. Water was scarce, and electricity came from illegal taps. My father worked in a copper wire factory for a meager salary. My mother and older sister sometimes worked as domestic helpers. While my brother left school at the age of 11 to work odd jobs, my sister and I scavenged for recyclables before and after school. Sometimes, we were even forced to eat discarded food. During difficult times, we would even mix salt with water for a meal.
I was quite young when an old man abused me. Sexual abuse is common in the slums but goes unnoticed.
When the factory where my father worked closed down, we moved to Khan Market, an upscale Delhi neighborhood. My father became a security guard, and my mother worked as a domestic helper for bureaucrats. As a result, we were given servant quarters, a 10×12-foot room, a significant upgrade. Every few years, we would end up on the street for a couple of months when my mother’s employer moved out.
Over the years, theater has evolved beyond a mere platform for applause. It has profoundly shaped me into the person I am today, and I owe this transformation to my exposure to Manzil. Through theater, I have developed confidence, empathy, curiosity, perseverance, and a heightened sense of social awareness. It has been an invaluable tool for personal growth and self-discovery. Soon, just performing wasn’t enough, and I started conducting theater workshops in organizations focused on child rights, women empowerment, hygiene, and education. These workshops shared the transformative power of theater with others, inspiring positive change in their lives.
This realization led me to found Anurvana, which follows a learn-and-earn model where slum children and youth can simultaneously acquire essential education and practical skills.