Zareena lives with her six sisters, three brothers and parents in Dharavi. Her father is in the navy. She is currently studying for her H.S.C.. Zareena is very creative and would like to have her own business in the future. She also likes the idea of being a teacher, but she is still young so has plenty of time to decide. She thinks English language skills will defintely help her to achieve her goals.

Falak is the youngest in a large, middle-class family. She has reached 11th Standard at school and is studying for the H.S.C. in Science. She then hopes to embark on a beautician course in Dharavi. She thinks English will really help her in her chosen career path, because it will allow her to communicate with clients and will lead to faster promotion. When she is not studying, Falak helps her mother with the household duties.

Tauqueer finds it very difficult that all his friends, all his teachers and all potential employers speak in English, and he is unable to participate. He is in the second year of his BComm and would then like to enrol on an MBA course. He is particularly interested in working in marketing in the future. Tauqueer has lived in Dharavi all his life. He is part of a big family, and his father owns a children’s clothes shop. In his free time, he helps out with the family business.

Asif is currently studying in Dharavi for his H.S.C. Science. His mother is a housewife and his father makes and sells bags locally. He would like to be mechanical engineer. He is particularly interested in computer science and would like to have a job repairing computers in the future. English is very important to him, as he feels it will improve his job prospects and help him communicate with friends in person and online.