Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 27

Invisibility to hope, Rajasthan youth Shubham Rathore has come a long way. Not too long ago, he was one among many child labourers at a Mandsaur eatery working strenuous night shifts in exchange for food.

Rescued from eatery in 2009

• Shubham Rathore migrated to MP’s Mandsaur from Pratapgarh as a 13-yr-old to support his family
• Worked at a restaurant and was not paid anything
• Was rescued in 2009 by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi-run NGO which placed him at a Jaipur rehab facility
• Completed electrical engineering from Alwar and got a job at POWERGRID in Delhi
• Now, has won Ashoka University Young India Fellowship

Today at 25 years of age, Shubham is among the few winners of Ashoka University Young India Fellowship, a coveted and competitive programme that assesses applicants’ academic and non-academic journeys to pick the best in the field and help them realise their full potential.

“Life is a constant journey towards self-renewal,” says the young man from Pratapgarh, who had migrated to Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur as a 13-year-old to support his family with finances.

“I used to work from 8 pm to 10 am at a restaurant and was not paid anything. A meal was all I got,” recalls Shubham, rescued in 2009 by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi-run Bachpan Bachao Andolan, which placed him at a Jaipur facility for rehabilitation.

It was from that moment on that Shubham began dreaming about a better future.

“My first memory is of Satyarthi ji asking us about our dreams for the future. I had no idea what to say, but he told us that a life without a dream was meaningless. That was the day I began dreaming,” notes the child labour survivor who went on to complete his electrical engineering UG degree from Laxmi Devi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Alwar, and eventually landed a job at POWERGRID in the national capital.

From August 2, Shubham will enter a new phase of life as the Ashoka Young Fellow pursuing dreams of social renewal.