“GOING FROM TRASH TO TREASURE.”

If someone is doing good in society, then we don’t need to ask God for anything that we want in our lives.

I was just another boy who was born to poor parents who would sweat their days and nights to make their living. They worked on the basis of civil contractors in the construction sites at Pune. Maybe my parents had a dream that I would become someone good someday. They didn’t abandon me like the other kids. And it is the only thing that told me that I was lucky enough.

My parents left me when I was 4. I didn’t know how the love from the parents would be at the age of such innocence. Some of my relatives helped me start my primary education in Mahabubnagar district. After completion of my 5th standard, I was joined into a Government School alongside staying in one of the Government Hostels at Hyderabad, on the decision of my parents. There were so many problems that I had faced while I was growing up. Sometimes, there used to no proper food to eat. At times, I even got used to sleeping on an empty stomach.

Apart from this, for every summer holidays, I’d visit Maharashtra with my parents. I had spent my childhood gathering garbage on the streets of Pune, India. I’d join my mother and father in pulling plastic bottles, cans and cardboard from the roadside dumpsters and selling the materials to the scrap traders for income.

With the money I get, I used to buy some used clothes to wear. It was one of the saddest parts of my life. But here, the situation has only made me stronger.

I was in my class 10 when I got selected for a residential camp named LAKSYAM-2014 organised by one of the NGO’s called Gnana Saraswati Foundation. It was a 45 days awareness programme held at my school which has brought the biggest change in my life. I was totally inspired by the speeches that were given by famous speakers on that platform. It gave me the biggest hope and a purpose to live for a reason in my life.

After some days has passed, I started studying a diploma in Civil Engineering while staying in a bachelor’s room in Hyderabad. I used to attend my classes in the mornings hours while working for catering services in the evening hours to pay off my college expenses on my own. 

Once when I went on a shortage of money and couldn’t pay the rent for the room I am staying in and was expelled from the place. Finding no alternative shelter, I slept at MGBS bus stand for 3 continuous nights. It was a horrible situation. Again, life has reminded me that I am poor. And it’s the day, I’ve decided whatever might happen to me but I’d NEVER GIVE UP in my life. I thought of every possible option to make my living better at that moment. I started doing part-time work at some function halls and went to paste posters on walls in the earliest of the mornings to earn money. Self Learning has taught me a lot of things. 

I somehow managed to get a Telecaller job but it had a hard side for me. I even joined some local news channels as an anchor (newsreader) and it didn’t work much with me.

With that unfaded inspiration from the first NGO program that I had attended, I had taken my first step towards volunteering into some more NGO’S and getting to know how the works are done. I’d learnt Professional Development besides my engineering. This has given me a superpower to build myself, leading me to start up my own NGO named “YOUTH FOR UNITY” ORGANISATION. Now I made a team for myself who supported our mission and vision of the service. I give speeches and seminars to the people on entrepreneurship and inspire them by telling motivational stories to bring a change in them.

I am just 20 years old today.

I am an Independent Social Activist, Public Speaker & Author.