A 'slums to stars' saga: Mumbai's Dharavi boy graduates from OTA to become Indian Army officer

Lt Keelu hails from the Sion-Koliwada-Dharavi area, his family of 4 used to stay in a tiny house. His father, the lone breadwinner, worked as a painter and ensured that the two children got the best possible education.

Mumbai: It was a dream come true for Umesh Keelu, hailing from the Dharavi slum cluster of Mumbai, when he graduated from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai to become a Lieutenant of the Indian Army.

Lt Keelu, who is in his twenties, is perhaps the first from Dharavi to pass out as an officer from the OTA, the training establishment for Short Service Commission (SSC).

“I am the first to become an officer of the Indian Army. Seeing me perhaps many others would be inspired to join the armed forces," an elated Keelu said hours after he passed out of the OTA on Saturday.

Lt Keelu hails from the Sion-Koliwada-Dharavi area - his family of four used to stay in a house that measured barely 10*5. His father, the lone breadwinner, worked as a painter and ensured that the two children got the best possible education. However, in 2013, his father suffered a stroke and was paralysed.

While going through all these, Lt Keelu pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology and thereafter a Masters degree in Computer Science.

While balancing the academic work, he also joined the Air Wing of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and earned a ‘C’ certificate.

At the same time, to meet family needs, he worked part-time in a cyber cafe as a computer operator.

Thanks to his efforts, he was placed in the TCS in the core IT services sector and began supporting his family. Looking into the family needs and his father’s treatment, he also took up a gig in the British Council during the weekends.

In order to fulfil his parents' wishes of donning the uniform of the armed forces, he started preparations for the Service Selection Board (SSB) examinations.

"I completed my education through scholarships during graduation and post-graduation. I worked in TCS for three years. I was simultaneously preparing for SSB. After 13 attempts, I made it to the armed forces,” he said.

As soon as he joined the academy, tragedy struck when his father passed away. On special grounds, he was granted permission to visit the family and perform his duties and return to the academy.

Once back into the academy, he got into the grind and toiled hard to fulfil his parents dream and don the stars of a newly commissioned officer.

All about Dharavi

Dharavi is predominantly a major slum area, home to over 60,000 to 70,000 families – and in terms of demography it would not be wrong to describe it as a mini-India.

Spread over 200 hectares (500 acres) – it boasts of a literacy rate of 69 per cent – the highest among the slum localities in the country.

Spread across the Sion-Matunga stations of the Central Railway and Bandra-Mahim on the Western Railway, the Dharavilocality, this also a business hub – and the turnover is difficult to estimate as it is in the informal sector.

The Mithi river empties into the Arabian Sea through the Mahim creek.

About 45 per cent of the population is Muslim and the rest include Hindus, Christians and Neo-Buddhists. Majority migrants here are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

It has several business units right from textiles to pottery to fabrication to leather industry. Plastic recycling and garbage segregation too is done here. It has an estimated 5.000 businesses and 15,000 single-room factories. Goods produced here go to the Middle East, America and Europe.