One man. One mission. A 17,000km walk to spread awareness. This is the story of Ashish Sharma, a 29-year-old man from Delhi who works relentlessly with his Duayen Foundation to eradicate child begging from Indian society. His philosophy is that working on resolving this one issue can effectively put children in school and eliminate many associated problems such as child trafficking, child prostitution, child labouring, rag picking, drug mafia, amongst a slew of others. His sharp focus and unwavering determination makes him a true Indian hero.
Excerpts from an interview
What inspired you to start the Duayen Foundation?
One day, as I was returning from work I saw an extremely thin and malnourished child begging on the streets. Sadly this is a common sight in India. But that day I felt like I had to do something about it, so I took the child home, fed him, gave him some clothes and enrolled him in school with the help of an NGO. This action prompted me to do the same for eight more kids, but I realised that for each child I rescued, there was one more helpless child somewhere in the country. Thus, with an aim to create an impact on a larger scale, I decided to start the Duayen Foundation.
I had envisioned the Duayen Foundation in 2009, but it only got registered in 2017. The idea behind the name for the Foundation was that if you do something good for people, you shall receive ‘Duayen’ or blessings. Through my work and the Foundation, I hope to set an example that it is possible for any individual to initiate and be the change they wish to see.
Could you give us a glimpse into the Unmukt India Campaign?
The Unmukt India Campaign entails a 17,000km walk to spread awareness about the issue of child begging spanning all 29 states, seven union territories and 4,900 villages. It had flagged off in August 2017 and took me more than one and a half years to complete. The concept behind the walk was that I’d try to meet as many people as I could and try to create a psychological impact.
Why did you choose this particular method to spread awareness about the issue, i.e., by traversing on foot?
If we refer to Indian culture and history, we can see that it is defined by figures who travelled by foot to educate the population about their causes. Examples include Adi Sankaracharya, Swami Vivekananda, Guru Nanak, etc. Being a spiritual person myself, I believe in the learnings we can imbibe from such instances and the scriptures. This encouraged me to decide upon this method to spread awareness. Further, what I have experienced is that journeying by foot facilitates random interactions with people. Such interactions formed the backbone of my campaign, since it allowed me to connect with people in an extremely grounded and natural setting, which I feel has the ability to create a lasting impact.
What were some of the difficulties you faced during the walk?
Initially, when I had just started out on this journey, I did face confidence issues regarding whether I would be able to complete the walk; I had my doubts and fears that took a lot of mental strength to overcome. Then, once I actually began my journey, I faced problems with regard to sustenance and shelter. With the limited resources I had, it was not possible to plan the entire roadmap for such a venture, so there were times I starved, there were times I did not have a place to sleep. But, once I started the walk, I knew that I wanted to complete it at all costs. Turning back was not an option for me.
There was one incident in Madhya Pradesh where I actually got kidnapped. I had gone to meet a spiritual leader, who did not let me leave the premises of his building after our meeting. He wanted me to stay for an extended period so that I could serve at his place and work for his causes. I begged to be freed, but they kept me there against my will for an entire night. Threats were fired my way. I somehow managed to escape the next day, but the incident still haunts me. But, being a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, I feel this incident was probably mandated to teach me a valuable life lesson. That night, my ego was completely eliminated. I was able to appreciate the value of a lifetime and got more convinced to utilise my time well and keep working towards my cause.
I was also diagnosed with jaundice four times during the span of my walk. However, I felt all these were just minor problems compared to the bigger issue I was championing. Thus, the larger picture kept me going forward!
You have travelled the entire country and must surely have accumulated a lot of experiences. Can you narrate any one incident of your choice and tell us why it resonates?
It is so hard to pick just one incident since every single interaction I have had has added value to the campaign.
How has the reception towards your initiative been?
Honestly, I have had mixed responses to my venture. While some people I met were impressed by my bravery to initiate a campaign of this magnitude, others were sceptical. They questioned my method, questioned what would change just because I conducted a walk.
I have also met many government officials during the span of my walk. They were also extremely supportive of my venture. While, through such meetings, I wanted to bring to light the pathetic condition of these kids and try to incite the government to take action, my appeal to them was also from a humanitarian point of view. I believe each one of us has a responsibility towards society and that my job does not end just because I alerted the officials.
I was also fortunate to meet Rajinikanth. In fact, we have now tied up with ‘Shree Dayaa Foundation’, which is an initiative to prevent child abuse, child trafficking and exploitation, spearheaded by his wife, Latha Rajinikanth.
We have also managed to garner positive responses from our ongoing Twitter Campaigns.
What about funding for the mission?
The only source of funding was what was provided to me by two of my school friends. I live a very simple life, and I adhered to these principles during the walk also. I ate simple food, dressed modestly and did not indulge in any luxuries. Then there were those random acts of kindness by strangers who would offer me food alongside encouragement to keep going.
The main reason why I did not consider raising funds before embarking on the mission was because I believe funds don’t matter if one is courageous enough to face whatever comes their way. There is a common notion that things are possible only if you have the backing of money. I disproved that theory. I also wanted to prove by example that it is possible to overcome any adversity if one has the will to do so. A representation of mind over matter, if you will!
What is your vision for the Foundation post the walk?
Our short-term plan is to hold a two-day event in Delhi on August 24. We hope to bring together 10 lakh people who will walk together to show solidarity towards abolishing this issue from our nation. The concept behind this is to make people aware about the power of spreading awareness. Post the two-day walk, each person who participates will act as an ambassador for the cause, utilizing the activities of their day-to-day lives as a platform to spread awareness, be it on their daily commute by metro or at a social gathering. This will allow the cause to spread amongst more people, who can in turn spread the message.
Our long-term plan is to work on our website, which will offer a sustainable channel through which people can alert us about children in need, who we can then rescue and offer the care they need. We are trying to create a self-sufficient system by integrating schools, hospitals, police stations, NGOs, rehabilitation centres and district magistrates within every 5 km radius.
How has this journey been for you, from a personal standpoint?
I quit a comfortable job as an engineer in order to undertake this venture. There was no guarantee as to how the venture would pan out, but I took the plunge anyway, because I knew excuses would keep coming, but if I had to do it, I had to do it now.
The entire experience has been a huge learning opportunity for me. I have grown so much as a person. This journey has helped me to develop the virtues of compassion and patience; I am so much calmer now, and have developed the grit to be able to face any situation.
Few pearls of wisdom for our readers?
I can share what my three-step approach to handling events such as this is. The first step is ‘magnification’. Go out, do adequate research about the issue you are passionate about, collate information and then spread it. For instance, we were able to make the issue of child begging a national movement. The next thing to do is ‘channelise’. I believe being able to channelise your thoughts and efforts to create something productive is an art. I am currently in this process of channelizing my efforts to take the movement to the next level. The final thing is ‘outlook’. It is about defining what the outlook of your campaign should be, who it aims to help, who it aims to garner support from and what your approach to solving an issue is. Having a methodical structure to tackle an issue will help to make sense of the problem and make it easier to tackle the problem areas to find effective solutions.
