Mohammad Umar

I am Mohammad Umar and I hail from UP. The reason for coming to Mumbai is while I was studying in UP there was no source of income. So one day I use to work and one day school. Our economic condition was not good. My family doesn’t have capacity to support my education and I was the only child so all the responsibility was on me. Without money nothing happens. Even if I have to buy uniform I need money. So under these circumstances I had to leave education. During this period my family started searching for bride for me. They said you are 16 years old and you should get married. Finally they got me married at the age of 17. After wedding the burden became double, to support my family and to support my wife. paraya ghar ki ladki hai uska bhi sambhalna hai. I started thinking how can I earn money and support my parents and kids. I don’t have any brother who will take care of my parents and kids. I have to earn and I only have to take care of my parents and kids. I had five sisters who got married.

When I first came to Bombay in 1971 at the age of 18, I didn’t know anyone in Bombay. I didn’t know what to do. I arrived at VT and from there I took a train to Reay road and started searching for job...

Mohammad Umar is an activist and street theater director living in Mandala.