Shenaz Shaikh

Shenaz is 15 years old and has been at Akanksha for ten years and is in level 7. She stays with her eight-member family on P.D’Mello road. She studies at the Modi Street Municipal school in class seven. She has been part of drama, dance, computer and art class and the sports program.

Here is what Shenaz has to say:

My family used to live on the streets and everyday to get food my mother used to beg and whatever she got we ate and slept. We never tried to ask our mother for more food. We used to sleep on a half empty stomach. When I was young and I saw my mother begging. I couldn’t bear it and so I decided to beg and I wanted my mother to sit at home and take care of my younger sister. When I was young I remember the days when I used to trouble people and people used to say I was the naughtiest girl in this area and I was a very fat girl like a balloon!

Now I am a girl who looks extremely attractive and am very intelligent. I am a very confident girl and I built my confidence by taking part in things where you have to give speeches in front of many people. Enough of boasting now let me tell you when people are serious about something I don’t take it seriously and I can’t control my laughter it just keeps on coming.

I want you to know what I am interested in. Dancing, reading and writing are interesting things for me. I take part in every dance class. I have done shows both for Raell Padamsee and Shiamak Davar. At home I just keep on writing so that I am much faster at it and can finish my exam paper before hand. At home I read books and newspapers and many other things.

What I don’t like is when my community people drink alcohol and break bottles in front of anyone’s house and once in a blue moon rapes also take place and people are very scared about their daughters. In my community everyday fights take place in some family or the other.

Let me tell you about the problems I face at home. The problems that I face every evening at home is my dad drinks alcohol with his friends and comes home and hits my mother or me and abuses us but my mother never tries to go against him because he is the one who works and feeds us.

You will get bored listening to my problems so please let me tell you what Akanksha has given me. I being a dancer can be a reality because I used to think that I will never become a dancer as others are better than me but Akanksha supported me and gave me the courage to continue with what I believe in and achieve. Now I trust myself completely and think I am capable of achieving what I want to.

I want you to know that I have improved in many things such as my behavior. I did not listen to anyone and now I think God has given me a brain to do things that are supposed to be done and by doing mischief I am never going to improve in my life and will not make anything out of it. I will never achieve my dream with such bad behavior.

Now let me tell you who inspires me and how. My Didi inspires me. She is my driving force. She pushes me ahead and gives me courage to do things that I say I can’t do.

Since I am in Akanskha I have learnt to play football. Maybe when I grow up I might be a champion in football. I also want to be a teacher, a dancer and an airhostess.