Bright Lights, Big Cities & Bigger Dreams
Sumit is from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. He joined VidyaGyan, an institution of Shiv Nadar Foundation, in 2010.
In my family, I was closest to my brother. He had started working very early in life to support my father and took care of everything including my expenses, and even though my family did not think education was very important- he and my family supported my decision to attend VidyaGyan. However, I had one deal with my brother. He wanted me to go to Bollywood. He was fascinated with the bright lights and the stardom that was associated with Tinseltown and felt that I was talented enough to achieve greatness one day. At the time, I used to laugh it off and didn’t take him seriously. Last year, I lost him in an accident. I decided right then and there that I would make his dreams for me come true. In doing so, I’m sure that I am keeping him alive in me. One day, when I become a successful actor, I will build a statue of my brother so that he will live on.
*VidyaGyan is a Leadership Academy, designed for the economically underprivileged, meritorious students of rural India. Established in 2009, VidyaGyan envisions bridging the urban-rural divide by creating leaders from India’s rural hinterland who can act as catalysts of change for their communities, villages, and the nation. To know more, visit www.VidyaGyan.in
