Shabana K H | A Dream Come True

As a young girl, Shabana dreamed of becoming a teacher. The dream took root early, in the third grade, inspired by the respect she saw teachers receive and by her own love for children.

“From 3rd grade onwards, I really wanted to be a teacher,” she recalls. “When I saw a teacher, I would stand up and wish them. I thought I would get that respect back someday.”

For Shabana, teaching was never just about standing in front of a classroom. It was about connecting with people, guiding children, and being someone who mattered in the community. But life had other plans.

Her education was disrupted when marriage entered her life at a young age. After moving away from her hometown, she lost a year of schooling and worked hard to catch up, even skipping ninth grade to move directly from eighth to tenth. It was a difficult transition, but she persevered.

She completed her tenth grade and joined Plus One. Then, halfway through her studies, she got married. What followed was a period when her world narrowed to family responsibilities. Education stopped. Career ambitions faded into the background. Like many women whose lives are redirected by circumstances, she focused on caring for her husband and child. Despite having a husband who encouraged her wholeheartedly to continue her studies, she felt it was hard to manage both her education and her domestic responsibilities.

“My dreams stopped there,” she reflects. “My world shrank to that of my child and husband.”

A Chance Encounter on a Train

The turning point in Shabana’s life came unexpectedly. At the time, two relatives and a childhood friend were involved with Magic Bus, a youth development organisation that had begun working in her community. Shabana participated in some of their activities and was intrigued by what she saw.

“I felt I could do what they were doing,” she says.

When she asked about job opportunities, however, she was discouraged. “They told me there was no vacancy and that this wasn’t a job I could do.” She let the matter drop. But fate intervened during a train journey to Bengaluru.

By coincidence, Shabana and her husband were travelling on the same train as a group of Magic Bus staff heading to a training programme. Over the course of the journey, conversations flowed. Team members got to know her, and she learned that a vacancy had unexpectedly opened up.The conversations continued, introductions were made, and eventually she was invited to interview.

The process was simple: a local interview, a written assessment, and a discussion with a trainer.

“After interacting with me, they realised that I was fit for the role,” she says with a smile.

Soon after, she attended a session with children. What she saw changed everything. “I realised Magic Bus was very different from what I had imagined.”

Discovering Social Work

Joining Magic Bus opened an entirely new world. For the first time, Shabana encountered concepts such as social work, BSW (Bachelor of Social Work), and MSW (Master of Social Work). More importantly, she discovered a field that combined her love for children, education, and community engagement.

“I realised this was something that could lead me back to my old dream.”

Working with children, families, and communities reignited a sense of purpose that had been dormant for years. The role allowed her to teach, mentor, guide, and build relationships, many of the things she had once imagined doing as a teacher.

As her confidence grew, so did her ambitions. She completed her Plus Two education and enrolled in a BSW programme. “After joining Magic Bus, I started doing social work. I began to like it. It became a passion.” Today, she speaks proudly about her identity.

“Now I can say with great pride that I am a social worker, even if I don’t have the degree yet.”

She also worked at the Vyttila branch of the organisation for a while. Over six years with Magic Bus, she became a familiar face in the community, helping children and families navigate challenges and build healthier futures.

Becoming ‘Shabana from Magic Bus’

One of the most significant transformations in Shabana’s life was the way the community began to see her. Before joining Magic Bus, she says, few people knew her beyond her role within the family. “I lived in Mattancherry for six years after marriage, and no one knew me.”

That changed quickly. “After one and a half years in Magic Bus, everyone started knowing me.” People no longer identified her simply as someone’s wife, daughter-in-law, or relative. She became known in her own right.

“Now I am known as ‘Shabana from Magic Bus,’ not just as someone’s wife or daughter-in-law.”

The recognition was meaningful because it reflected something deeper: trust. Residents began approaching her with personal concerns, family problems, and questions they felt comfortable sharing only with someone who understood their lives.

“It’s a joy when people share even their personal problems with us because they feel that closeness.” For Shabana, those conversations affirmed that her work was making a difference.

A New Chapter 

When the Magic Bus project eventually closed, Shabana faced another transition. She joined aikyam, where she continues working with communities in and around Mattancherry.

Although still new to the organisation, she has already begun building connections. Some community members joined a bag-stitching programme through her encouragement and have already progressed to advanced levels and secured their first orders.

Her current role includes conducting community surveys, a task she had never done before.Being from Mattancherry gives her a unique advantage. Residents recognise her as one of their own.

“When I tell them Mattancherry is my home, they open up to me better than an outsider.”

A Vision for Community Care

Shabana’s experiences have shaped a vision for the future. If given the resources, she wishes to start a non-profit to create community support networks for children and elderly people, spaces where people could find companionship, guidance, and someone willing to listen.

“There might be mothers and grandfathers sitting alone at home while many people go to work,” she says. “No one just goes and asks how they are.”

She is particularly concerned about children who feel isolated and unheard. “Sometimes while talking, they cry sadly, saying no one notices them.”

Her dream is to build systems of trust and care within neighbourhoods, creating mentors and support groups that can step in where families and institutions sometimes cannot.

Looking Ahead

Despite years of experience, Shabana still sees herself as a learner. Alongside her social work studies, she is working to improve her English and expand her communication skills. Colleagues have encouraged her to practice, helping her overcome the fear of making mistakes. “My husband was saying yesterday that my language has improved a lot,” she says proudly.

For someone whose education was interrupted and whose dreams once seemed permanently out of reach, such a willingness to keep learning reflects the resilience that has defined her journey.

Looking back, Shabana misses Magic Bus deeply: not just because of the work, but because of the joy it brought. We all worked like children there,” she remembers. “We’d run, jump, play games, and mingle with kids. It was good for our mental health. More importantly, I have had a lifetime of learning from there.” Shabana is immensely grateful to her mentors and superior officers at Magic Bus, as well as her husband, for their consistent support and encouragement over the years in pursuing her dreams.  

Yet her story is not really about one organisation. It is about transformation. A girl who dreamed of teaching, a young woman whose education was interrupted, and a mother who once believed her ambitions had ended, found a new purpose through social work.

Today, Shabana is not only rebuilding her own dreams; she is helping others believe in theirs.