Scissors, Thread, Clothes: The Quiet Struggle of a Boy Who Creates Beauty

Vinay Singh, a 27-year-old from a small village in Uttar Pradesh, grew up facing many financial problems after his father passed away. To support his family, he decided to learn the skill of making frocks. His journey began not out of choice, but out of necessity.

The journey of making a single frock may look easy from the outside, but for Vinay, every stitch carries a story — a story of a boy who started with nothing, learned everything the hard way, and kept going even when life felt too heavy.

Vinay grew up in a small village where money was tight and opportunities were limited. He had one sister and two elder brothers, who moved to Mumbai and learned designing. As

financial pressure increased, his mother asked him to follow the same path.

“We didn’t have enough money, so my mother told me to go to Mumbai after I graduated and work with my brothers,” he recalled.

The real struggle began when Vinay sat in front of the machine for the first time. His elder brother became his first teacher, guiding him patiently through each stitch. The beginning was painful - literally.

“I got a lot of injuries, and that was very scary,” he said.

But even with fear and pain, he kept trying. Slowly, he began making frocks and even started designing.

COVID-19 brought challenges Vinay had never imagined. Work disappeared overnight, and he had to return to his village.

Despite the struggles, there were moments that filled him with pride and hope. Vinay still remembers his first payment.

He faced rejection many times, but when his design proposal was finally approved, his confidence soared.

“This moment was very proud for me,” he added.

Today, Vinay’s life looks very different from the time he faced those early challenges. He still works in the same place, but his role has grown. Now he handles the foundational steps of dress-making - cutting cloth, measuring, preparing base designs - before stitching even begins. This shows how much his skills have improved.

His journey has shaped him into a determined person with big dreams. After years of struggle, Vinay hopes to expand his skills across India and someday start his own business in another country. He believes that his experience - from stitching frocks to designing full outfits - will help him build something bigger in the future.

“One day, I want to take this business to another country and make my family proud,” Vinay said with hope in his eyes.

In the end, his message to others is simple but powerful:

Written by Shital Bind, Grade 7, Shikha Academy, Mumbai

Shital wrote this article as a participant of the Media-Makers Fellowship's Nov'25 cohort.