Meet Than Singh, police constable who grew up in slum, now runs free school for underprivileged kids

Ajay Ahirwal, 10, is a resident of one of many slum areas of Delhi. Three years back, his life witnessed a significant change as he started his studies. Interestingly, Ahirwal now speaks fluent English. 

"Ma’am ji, earlier I had never gone to school, but now I study in class 5. I study Social Science, Hindi, Maths, and English. Of all subjects, I like Social Science the most and I aspire to become a Police officer like uncle ji, and I will teach children like he does,” he told while speaking to The Better India. 

However, things were never this smooth for Ajay who would accompany his father to tourist spots in the national capital, where he used to work as a labourer. Like Ajay, nearly 80 children from various slum areas of Delhi, who were involved in jobs like menial work or rag picking, are now studying. Credits to Than Singh, who is a police constable. 

Let's get to know more about him.

Who is Than Singh?

Born in Rajasthan's Bharatpur, Than Singh was born and brought up in the slums of Delhi. His father used to iron clothes to earn livelihood. He also used to sell corn on the streets to support the family. 

Despite hardships and financial troubles, Than Singh was determined to continue his studies and achieve something in life. "I would study at a school for a fee of Rs 3. My father wanted to become a police officer, but he could not. I wanted to fulfill his dream. I’d juggle work and studies. In 2009, after two attempts, I cleared the examination for Delhi Police constable and got my posting in 2010,” he says while speaking to The Better India.

It was 2013 when he saw a few children picking up rags near Red Fort in Delhi. He realised that some of the tourists mocked the children, instead of understanding their plight. “Many tourists would come and click their photos, mocking their circumstance, I hated to see that. These children were doing odd jobs for Rs 50 because their parents did not have enough resources to take care of them", Singh says. 

He also saw some children eating 'gutkha' (betel nuts). Just because they do not have enough resources to receive proper education, they get into bad companies which lead them to wrong paths, Singh realised. 

This is when he decided to bear the responsibility of their education. Two years later, he established a one-of-its-kind school, named Than Singh Ki Pathshala, to teach underprivileged children for free.

He also met with the parents of the children and convinced them to send the kids to the Pathshala. 

“I volunteered to teach these kids so that they are able to come a little par to their peers. For this, I started meeting the parents. Police are the only segment that go to people irrespective of their socio-economic status and get to understand their problems. After meeting their parents, I convinced them to not worry about kids and send them to our pathshala,” he says.