Eighteen-year-old Moses S is a former juvenile delinquent who was booked for mobile theft. But it only took 18 days at the juvenile home in Ayanavaram to turn Moses's life around.
A few months ago, Moses started taking drugs. He had a 24-year-old friend who had already been to Puzhal prison who was influencing him. One day, he was in a street next to the home when he took the drugs. "I didn't know what I was doing. I lost complete control of myself. I didn't even realise that I had stolen someone's phone. But it happened, and I'm sorry it did," says Moses.
He adds, "When I was brought to the home, I knew I had committed a crime and I had to pay for it. I was really scared. My parents were called and informed. But more than that, I was sorry."
All was not lost for Moses, as his life soon started taking a turn. "During my 18 days here, I actually had a good time. I ate good food, I learnt a lot of songs. I knew that if I lived outside this place, I would be surrounded by bad gangs again. Here I could live properly. I want to live like a human being now," he says.
Moses currently works for an air filter company. He couldn't complete his studies as he had to support his mother and brother, as his father had left them.
Now, when he meets his old friends, he just greets them and leaves. "If they call me to join them, I just tell them I have other work and leave immediately. I don't want to be dragged down the same path again. But whenever I get the chance, I do try to bring them my way," says Moses.
