Scripting Change

Read about a Magic Bus Youth Mentor, who overcame all odds to become a leader in her community, mentoring 813 children.

When 23-year-old Mamta opted to become Magic Bus’ Community Youth Leader at Sultanpuri in north-west Delhi, she was aware of the odds stacked against her. For starters, the community barely recognized her as a leader because she was a woman with a polio-affected leg.

But, battling against odds was nothing new to her.

 

Mamta handing out a prize to one of her session participants

At the young age of 2 years, Mamta was diagnosed with polio which paralysed her left leg. What it couldn’t affect was her zeal for sports. She was good with handball but did not get an opportunity to play. “Persistence pays off. I conduct handball sessions for children now whereas in school, I was never selected to be a part of any team“, she reflects.

At the age of 17, she lost her father to an accident and also the hope to pursue higher education. “I was married off when I was in the eleventh standard”, she laments. Mamta shifted to small village in Haryana after marriage. “I secretly filled the form for the twelfth standard examination and cleared it with a distinction”, she adds with pride. Within a year of marriage, Mamta had a son. However, due to frequent trouble with her in-laws, Mamta and her husband decided to shift to Delhi.  

“Shifting to Delhi was a blessing in disguise.I was introduced to Magic Bus and I enrolled myself in Delhi University’s School of Open Learning for higher studies”, she adds.

Mamta conducting a session

In 2013, Magic Bus began its sessions at Sultanpuri. “It was one of the most challenging spaces in Delhi. None of the families were willing to send their children, especially girls, because of the high incidence of crime and drug abuse in the locality,” remembers Jeebanjyoti, District Programme Officer at Magic Bus.

“Did I know I could, one day, be able to convince the community to send their children? No, I didn’t. I just knew that it was important for girls to step outdoors and play. I wanted these girls to overcome the fear of the outside world”, explains Mamta.

She managed to overcome the community’s resistance – initially 10 families send their children. Now, she leads a group of 813 children out of which 359 are girls.  

In an era where public spaces are becoming hotspots for violence against women, sports seems to open up possibilities for women and girls to reclaim spaces lost to them.

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