(the hindustan times)
Meet Sheetal Jain. She's 19, in 10th grade and loves to dance and play drums. A normal teenage life? Not for her, she grew up in Mumbai's red-light area. Her mother is a sex worker and she has never met her father. Growing up was not easy, she faced violence, rape and discrimination. But what makes her stand out is that she has big dreams. She wants to go to a music school in the USA for a drumming diploma so that she can start music classes in the red-light area.
Growing up in Asia’s largest red-light district, people often taunted her saying that she would end up either as a bar dancer or a sex worker, just like her mother. This did not stop her from dreaming, she's courageous, optimistic, and is eager to make a difference.
In SheetaI's own words
I was taught that "a prostitute's daughter will only be a prostitute" and I was never allowed to have big dreams. But when I came to Kranti NGO, I studied, I had therapy, and most importantly, I had the chance to dream. I also found my passion in life - playing the drums. I want to attend this 1-year diploma program and bring music to my community, Kamathipura red-light area.In the past 2 years, I have seen how powerful music can be as a tool for social change. I have seen people drumming to protest, drumming to fundraise and drumming to entertain. I want to do all of these things for my community. I also want the opportunity to live and study abroad - it has always been a childhood dream which I, a sex worker's daughter, never thought would come true. But I believe an experience like this will help me as a person and as a leader.
