“My highest score in cricket is 71 not out. Cricket is my passion and I love wicket keeping and batting. I want to play cricket like Ravindra Jadega,” said an enthusiastic Salil.

This is every young boy’s fantasy in India. It was not an easy assignment for Salil, especially since he had difficulty grasping many duties at the same time. Salil (21 years old) is his parents’ only kid. His parents, like every other parent, worked hard to provide him with a normal existence, one that all other children his age had. On weekends, Salil’s father taught him cricket. However, because Salil was a slow student, he fell behind in his schoolwork from an early age.

Salil’s father is a motorman for the Indian Railways, while his mother and grandmother are housewives. Salil’s parents were unable to afford to enrol Salil in a special needs school or give him with any educational aids to support and help Salil catch up with other pupils his age due to his disadvantaged background.

Salil is a lively young man who has many acquaintances in his neighbourhood. Salil completed his 10th year at Vidya Prabodhini School in Mulund with the help of his school and his friend, Amit. Amit gradually moved out of their apartment complex and to Ghansoli, Thane, to finish his engineering. Meeting with him on a regular basis had become a chore, leaving Salil befuddled.

Salil joined Sol’s ARC as part of the Special Edge programme in 2016. Salil received extensive instruction from Sol’s ARC, which helped him overcome his obstacles and phobia of learning. Salil was able to complete his 12th grade through the National Institute for Open Schooling because to the assistance of Sol’s ARC (NIOS) Salil then enrolled in the Pathways vocational degree programme. He was given the opportunity to learn and finish his internship at Big Bazar and Amazon through the Pathways programme, which boosted his confidence. He also has an ITM certification in Hotel Management and is proficient in MS Office.

Salil showed his ability to tackle the challenging responsibilities assigned to him during his internship at Amazon. His willingness to master new skills made him a great candidate for employment at Amazon. Salil finished the Pathways programme in February 2021 and was hired as a Short Term Associate at Amazon thanks to the help and advice of his mentor at Sol’s ARC. Salil took advantage of this chance and is currently one of the top employees at the Amazon plant. His coworkers affectionately refer to him as Salil Bhai.

The Team Lead at Amazon appointed Salil as their friend when the fresh group of young people from Sol’s ARC began visiting the Amazon facility for their internship. He instructs the incoming interns on different tasks such as selecting, scanning, and sorting.

Salil’s parents are proud of his achievements. They are relieved that Salil has found his footing in life, and they hope that this change will give him the much-needed push he needs to pursue his aspirations. Salil wishes to pursue professional data entry training and a career in this field.

“I was confused about my future. My parents have always been very supportive. It is thanks to their constant support and guidance from Sol’s ARC, I now have clarity on my future path. Being a buddy for the new interns has further boosted my confidence,” said Salil.