My Queen's Commonwealth Essay
From Shadows to Stars Nivedya Gulzar Meet Aanya, a young girl living deep within the slums of Mumbai. Her presence, like countless others’, remains hidden courtesy the world that turns a blind eye to her potential. She wakes at the crack of dawn, rising from her charpoy. The floor is damp with sewage water, yet she pays it no mind. She wakes up her mother, sister and three brothers and together they step into the narrow streets, choked with plastic bags, wrappers and scurrying rodents. They navigate the cramped, familiar path, with its twists and shadows. At last, they reach the community’s only bathrooms and dutifully join a long queue – used by over 1,000 people each day (1). When their turn finally arrives, the mother pays a total fee of 30 rupees for all six of them to use the bathroom, a draining third of her daily wages. The two younger boys go to the local government school, whilst the older three stay back to help with chores and street vending. In order to provide for the...
