SALAAM
11 year old Salaam originally arrived in Mumbai from a small village in Uttar Pradesh, one of India’s poorest states. Like so many young runaways, he was fleeing domestic abuse – in his case his new stepmother was beating him for not working hard enough. He arrived at Victoria Station in the summer of 2009, but has yet to make it more than a hundred metres from the station perimeter. He soon fell in with a group of older boys, and resorted to begging and pickpocketing to survive. They introduced him to ‘whitener’ a toxic solvent that many of the boys sniff to help them deal with hunger. When he is not begging, Salaam travels on the trains by faredodging, going to see Bollywood movies and visiting the beach.
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Latest News
As you know from the end of the film, Salaam ran away from the Don Bosco home just before the film was broadcast. But there has been good news since then. This is from Father William, the director of the Don Bosco shelter.
"Salaam ran away from the deaddiction centre at Lonavla and was on the railway platform at the Victoria Terminus Station. But our staff members tracked him down and he agreed to come back to Shelter. He was here with us for few days. This morning [21st January] he told us about his family, gave us the address and the mobile no. of his father. As a result I spoke to his father on the phone (his mother too spoke to me). Next week someone will go and verify the family (I think Batul may go as well) and take pictures for the file and only after proper verification I will get back to you. Salaam's father is happy that we take care of his child and willing to give his consent in writing.
While Salaam was with us we had enrolled him in a dance school, something that he loves so much but even that did not motivate him stay with us. But hopefully now he will stay."
FEB 14
Salaam has surprised us all by announcing that he wanted to be reunited with his birth family. After we located them, and having made some careful enquiries that this would be a good idea for all concerned, Salaam and his family have been reunited, and he has been living with them for the last 2 weeks (see photo below). He has been regularly visited by Batul and the Don Bosco team who are checking that he is happy and safe (most recently on Feb 9th). He seems to be getting on with his stepmother, and is enjoying playing with his younger brothers for the first time in several years.
As we explained in the film Salaam has a place at the Don Bosco Shelter for Boys, and spent several months there (where they weaned him off solvent addiction) and the family is keen for him to return to school there. As Father William, the principal of the Shelter wrote last week: “Salaam’s family is very happy to keep him in the Shelter but Salaam himself has not fully decided to be with us. He has four more half bros & sisters who also will need our help”. Salaam is assessing what he wants, and as long as he is safe, then we are giving him the time and space to make up his own mind. Once we have a clear understanding of his desires, then we will be in a better position to assess how we can best help Salaam – be it through his family or school. As he says in the film: ‘One day the small will become big’!