Mumbai: Students from some of Mumbai's most under-resourced government schools filled the YB Chavan Auditorium on Friday, March 13, performing before a live audience in what their mentors describe as a turning point in how these young people see themselves.

The annual ‘Katha’ showcase, organised by Salaam Bombay Foundation, brought together adolescents trained across dance, theatre, photography, puppetry, podcasting, and storytelling, disciplines many had never encountered before enrolling in the Foundation's Academy of the Arts and Media Academy.

This year’s performances drew from the legend of Sindbad the Sailor, a deliberate choice. Like the fictional voyager, these students navigate uncertainty daily, and the Foundation wanted that parallel made visible.

“When students from resource-challenged backgrounds are given opportunities to express themselves through art and storytelling, they begin to see their own potential differently,” said Rajashree Kadam, Chief Sustainability Officer at Salaam Bombay Foundation. “Arts and media develop creativity, critical thinking, and leadership skills that can help them break the cycle of poverty.”

The students were mentored by industry practitioners, including actor and voice artist Uday Sabnis, Radio Jockey Rashmi Varang, theatre directors Priyanka Babbar and Sumukha Prasad, and photographers Hridgandha Mistry and Aslam Saiyad. Padma Shri Waman Kendre, former Director of the National School of Drama, was among the prominent attendees.

Since the Foundation’s Academy programmes launched, over 27,000 students from Standard 7-9 across government and civic-run schools have participated.

For many performers, the auditorium stage was their first ever experience on stage. For the Foundation, that moment, a child discovering an audience, is precisely the point.