On the scorching sunny day with no shade in sight, we felt as if we will collapse due to heat exhaustion. The temperature was soaring beyond 40° celcius. It might be an extremely exhausting day for her as well. She has been standing all day along the stall at the vegetable market near Indraprastha metro station and tried her best to sell all the fruits and vegetables so that she can take some money home and feed her family. But she showed no symptoms of exhaustion as such. Sweat drops kept dropping through her forehead , beneath her hair partition and her carelessly tied braid was an example that she doesn't have enough of time for combing her hair. Sun was directly shining at her head but she still stood there by 8 in the evening. A normal person cannot even think of walking for long under the sun in a May afternoon of Delhi.

But she was not normal at all , she carries extreme strength and resilience running in her blood, she was possessed with undeniable passion. But the only thing which is wrong here is that her energy was not used at a place where it should be used. She is a delicate soul, yet rigid. She is epitome of grace , yet possesses extreme strength. She is not meant to sell vegetables at some wholesale produce market. She is not born to get burdened with responsibilities at such a young age. "What's your name ? Hina, she replied in a soft yet firm tone." "What are you doing here ? Can't you see, I'm selling fruits" She replied with a stern yet painful voice as if she is doing something she never wanted to do. But she still didn't paid much attention to the person who asked her name as she was extremely busy in telling the pedestrians about the rates of fruits.

The stall belonged to her father who is diagnosed with Hepatic failure. Her mom works in the housekeeping department of a nearby school. Thus her parents sent her to the stall with a hope that our daily wages would not get stopped. As she shares her story with one of our volunteers during recess break while having tasty snacks sent by @taakat_hungerbar , she says, "my mother always used to say that you need to work hard on the stall to earn some extra money in order to save for the admission fees of my younger brother who will be starting his school journey in next three to four months.

But she never paid any attention to my education while I was three years older than him. And it used to amaze me a lot because I was also their child but still they didn't thought of my education and life even for once. When I grew a little more , I get to know the reason why my parents are like this. Not just my parents, but all the parents who lives in our locality shares a similar opinion about girls education. They don't find it important to spend money on girls education. My parents were sacrificing my life to make a better life for their son."

When she was first spotted at produce market selling fruits and vegetables, there was neither smile on her face nor angst. Her face was totally blank and it didn't showed any emotion. It seemed as if somebody has deliberately sent her to the stall and she was working there with extreme vulnerabilities. And the reality was not so different.

Finally she is out of a life which she never wanted to live, and this achievement is extremely heartfelt specially to those who spotted her at market and tried their best to make her parents. Finally she is a doing something worthy. After all , her energy is being deployed at a worthy place and for a worthy cause. She dreams of becoming a teacher and her constant hard work shows that she is going to be a great teacher soon. She patiently listens to the speech at Pehchaan The street school where it is also mentioned that the organisation was started as a step towards making education accessible and stop the institutionalization of education as it is a basic right of every child. When the speech got over, she shares with one of the teachers, " I will also work for making education accessible to all and would also try to stop the institutionalization of education after becoming a teacher." And when she says it, a spark of determination could be seen in her eyes. Her eyes which were once devoid of any emotion, are now filled with a dream which needs to be accomplished. Now, it's been three years since then, and sitting on the green matted floor at the IP centre of Pehchaan The street school, a big smile crept on her little cute face while receiving the scrunchies and bows on 10 years celebration from @j.scrunchiess who distributed beautifully designed scrunchies and bows. Her life seems completely different from what she had earlier. Our volunteers has somehow managed to make her parents understand how important it is to study for everyone. As her parents didn't want to spend any money on her education, so Pehchaan The street school decided to welcome a new member in its family. Today when a collaborator asked her name and what she was doing , she merrily replied, " My name is Hina and I'm celebrating 10 years of Pehchaan The street". When we see students like her, sitting quietly with notebooks and pens in their hands and hearts filled with a hope that they are about to live a better future , we believe that the mission which Pehchaan The street school works for is definitely gonna be accomplished soon. And all of it could never be possible without our incredible donors and collaborators who keep showering their love on our students from time to time. They are the biggest support system that we could have asked for. Recently on the 10 years celebration of Pehchaan The street school, we hosted a number of collaborations. Pehchaan The street school would like to thank @ampkrafts for sending small token, home shaped keychains, reminding us that every moment, every effort and every smile created something which feels like home.

Alongwith that, to make that sweet moment more sweeter ,@artisanalbakerybyity sent us beautifully designed and baked cakes, which brought a smile on the faces of our little heroes. From rainbow dreams to picture perfect layers, @artisanalbakerybyity has played their role in making the sweet celebrations more sweeter. Adding further to the collaborations, a special shout out to @blurmoments for sending beautifully customized keychains and fridge magnets. Their contribution to Pehchaan The street school has really brought smiles to our dedicated volunteers and it made them feel extra special and appreciated. As we celebrated 10 years of Pehchaan The street school, these keychain gifts added an extra layer of joy and gratitude to our volunteers who has been the heart of this amazing journey.

Also, Pehchaan The street school would also like to thank @sunshineclub.in for sending beautifully designed tote bags. Each one it carries a little message of hope, a lot of love and an assurance that good things are truly on their way. And special thanks to @piyusha.sharma.official for sharing frame with our volunteers and dedicating her precious time to Pehchaan The street school. Pehchaan The street school would also like to thank @candelitious for providing beautifully customized, colourful and scented candles to our volunteers and students. Every time somebody would lit them , it will not just spread light but also hope that will last forever. And growing hopes at Pehchaan The street school are usually meant to get converted into reality. It is a place where the upcoming heroes are not just trained, but also showered with hope , love and support. All these collaborations are a testimony to the immense change that is yet to come. The change which will change all the adversities to possibilities. The change which will convert all the hopes to realities. These 10 years of Pehchaan The street school are just a beginning to the change which will change everything. All our collaborators are playing their role in bringing that change. Adding to that queue, there is also an incredible example where a volunteer named Sevval who is from Turkey has completed her internship at Pehchaan The street school. It shows the extreme dedication that people have in them to bring that change. An era, when there will smiling faces of all students rather than tensed faces, where there all the dreams which once seemed so distant will become reality is not way too far. The kind of support our collaborators have for us and the kind of dedication our volunteers work with makes it sure that the era is not too far. But we are on the way to confront. All the achievements that Pehchaan The street school has made are just the beginning, there are many more to come in the upcoming years. So, to play your role either as a collaborator or donor, join Pehchaan The street and make a difference. Join… Support… Donate To contribute via instamojo : https://www.instamojo.com/@pehchaanthestreetschool To contribute via NEFT: https://pehchaanstreetschool.org/donation/ To visit the Instagram page: https://instagram.com/pehchaanstreetschool?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=181sger2fozl7 To visit Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PehchaanTheStreetSchoolOfficial/ To visit Twitter account: https://twitter.com/Pehchaan_School?s=09