MBS Founder - Ram Sony’s Story

Living a life beside railway tracks in Mumbai was not an easy way to grow up for Ram. We all love travelling in the Mumbai locality, but travelling by train sometimes jeopardizes the lives of many people. 

Living in such a place and being the son of a vegetable vendor meant the household income wasn’t high, the family, therefore, couldn’t afford to buy a house in a good locality. Ram always desired to learn despite his difficult surroundings, limited resources, and lack of financial resources. 

Once there was a situation where he was asked to drop out of school just to earn money and start taking over the family responsibilities, and so he decided to leave his studies. He helped his father selling vegetables so that the family wouldn’t starve for the daily bread and butter. But he knew leaving his studies wasn’t a good idea, he had to study to have a secure future. But he had no choice.

At this point Touching Lives came to his rescue. The Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) supported him to pay for his schooling and encouraged him to continue his studies. This kept his journey moving, but a mountain of challenges was waiting for him ahead. 

His poor language skills became a barrier for him. He couldn’t spell or write many words in English, and this became the reason for why he failed his exams many times which eventually demotivated him. But the fire in his heart of achieving his dreams kept him going. His heart and mind were determined to study to ensure he would have a bright future. In this rollercoaster of ups and downs, he managed to pass his SSC and HSC. 

The journey took another turn and Ram entered his Graduation phase. During this phase, he, many times, felt left out of the group because his peers, who belonged to a well-to-do family, spoke fluent English which Ram wasn’t able to do. He never let these things cause any hindrance to his focus and he kept working hard though. 

Ram had a keen interest in Psychology. Hence, he decided to pursue a degree in Psychology. When he entered his Third Year, things were turning out to be difficult for him. The language written in the textbooks was so complicated that it became a task for Ram to understand and decode them. The Head of Department (HOD) was not happy with his performance, so she helped him with the tuition.

 Ram was by this time studying 10 hours a day while simultaneously working to earn for his family. 

Ram had internal exams on his mind and a day prior to the exams, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decided to demolish the houses of his locality. His strong power of resistance helped him face this challenge and keep moving ahead. The constant focus ignited his determination and finally, he graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology. 

After analyzing his efforts and determination, the organization offered him a scholarship. This scholarship opened doors for unstoppable learning that aligned with his interests in Psychology. He learned many psychological practices.

Ram has since then also completed his Masters in Holistic Counseling from the Australian training organization, Mind Body Education. For the past year, Ram has also worked at MBE as a HICAT teacher and assessor. In addition to that, he has also been working with Touching Lives (NGO) for the past 7 years. 

Ram takes on the position of a mentor, and his job entails using his experience in therapy to heal young people and parents from varied slum origins. His family now lives in a decent apartment that they rented. Ram provides all the necessary help to his family in order to meet their everyday needs. They no more live beside the railway tracks.

From selling vegetables to pursuing a course from an Australian college his journey has been full of ups and downs. Inspiration in itself, this journey is worth knowing.

“Trust me, each tear was worth the efforts that I put in to be who I am today”. -Ram Sony

At one moment in his life, he came to the realisation that he is very good at problem-solving skills. He then took the help of his mentors and came to understand that he could study psychology and help other people in similar situations in life. He is now a holistic counselor and training provider.

He feels the purpose of his life is to stay true to his own authentic self, be kind, self-compassionate, and non-judgmental. He is in love with providing support and tools at the psychological level (Mind-Body) in a holistic way, to people who want to work on themselves and live a healthy and happy life.

He did this study because he is very passionate about supporting people at the psychological level and bringing happiness and healthy lifestyles. His purpose in becoming a educator and training provider is to empower other people for their own holistic growth.

Ram's - Short Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG3EXlIVwOM&t=880s