How a Story Inspired a Movement-The Story of Vijay Nallawala

As a child, Vijay rarely stood out from the rest of the children on any count. Though he was more intelligent than most of his classmates at school; his lack of effort ensured that his academic performance was just above average. A weak and sickly child, he would mostly be found immersed in painting, sketching or devouring a book. His world of books was drawn almost entirely from fiction, an easy getaway from reality.

Vijay’s childhood was not exactly a pleasant experience, with his parents separating when he was not even five. Separation in the 1960’s was taboo and it had an adverse emotional impact on him. Vijay along with his mother and elder sister were magnanimously brought up by his maternal uncle in the then small village of Vasai, near Mumbai.

“I was in the key tenth standard at school, when my favourite teacher; the big strapping Irishman; Brother Murphy had a go at me without any warning. He compared my mediocrity to the all round excellence of my sister, Tejal and berated me for wasting my talent. In no uncertain words he had conveyed to me that I had let him down, big time. Being thus exposed in front of my classmates was crushing, especially since the rebuke came from Brother Murphy, whom I adored so much. What seemed like a huge setback to me at that time, turned to be a pivotal point in my journey.”

Want to know, how a weak child turned into a mental wellness warrior? Read full story of Vijay in “Heroes Amongst Us”

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Vijay Nallawala is Co-Founder & Managing Trustee, Mental Health Support Foundation. He is also an author and mental wellness warrior.