For 15-year-old Raju, Nizamuddin Railway Station was his only home for many years. There he used to indulge in substance abuse. He was brought to CHETNA’s rehabilitation home in 2012 and he now rescues other children who are caught up in addiction. Raju loves to study and wants to work in the bank once he grows into a young man. He is currently studying in Class III at the centre’s classes.
Narrating his life story, he said: “My father wanted me to go out and earn money but I never wanted to do that, I wanted to study. He never sent me to a school, so I ran away from home five years ago and started living at the railway station. There I met some boys who introduced me to whitener ink and other inhalants and I became addicted.”
“Two years ago, I met some volunteers from CHETNA at the railway station and I came to the centre with them. After continuous counselling for the last two years, I have stopped taking any kind of inhalation now. I feel so much better these days. I wear clean clothes, look better, and I talk to people who are educated and teach me good things,” said Raju.
Completely transformed, the boy is now “against any kind of addiction”. As he puts it: “I also stop other children from doing so. If I find someone indulging in substance abuse, I bring them to the centre for counselling.”
