Mumbai: Rajesh Laxman Pillay, a 17-year-old in Mumbai, has truly an inspiring tale to tell. The SSC student, who scored 71 per cent, wrote the exams with his toes, because he was born without arms.
Hailing from a village in Beed district in Maharashtra, Rajesh was brought up by an elderly woman when his father expired and his mother deserted him.
With no one to look after him, Rajesh landed on the streets of Mumbai where he began begging. He would often smoke cigarettes and beedies with his toes, until he was rescued by an outreach worker from SUPPORT who convinced him of a better life with other children.
SUPPORT rehabilitation is a crucial intervention in the life of children addicted to drugs. After his detoxification, he was admitted to a Municipal school in Vakola, Santacruz along with other children.
The SUPPORT staff convinced him that if he could smoke beedis with his toes, he could surely write with it too. He was provided all help and encouragement by the staff and other children to become self-reliant.