From Accusation to Advocacy: My Journey as an Educator

When you have a name like Dawood and live in Mumbai, you’re bound to raise a few eyebrows. It’s like being an unintentional participant in an unending talent show, where your mere existence keeps the audience guessing. Add to that the fact that I’m blessed with three daughters and have an FIR under my name—sounds like a recipe for RIP, doesn’t it? My election campaign, should I ever have one, would end even before it began.

But life is not without its drama, and mine has been a full-blown episodic series—one I wouldn’t binge-watch even if I had to.

The Darkest Chapter

We all have moments we wish we could erase—a mistake, a misstep, or a mistimed decision. For some, it’s an accident; for others, a wrong partnership. For me, it was a brush with the law that flipped my life upside down.

Eight years ago, I was falsely accused of promoting hate speech through a children’s book. Yes, you read that right—a multiple-choice question in a book meant for young minds. It spiraled into a full-blown case involving warrants, arrests, and a media frenzy. If you thought Club Mahindra’s persistent vacation packages were hard to escape, try dodging a criminal label handed out by society and media alike.

From a classroom in Ahmedabad to a courtroom in Cochin, my colleagues and I became scapegoats. The courts later dismissed the charges as baseless, but the damage was done. Arrested. Imprisoned. Tried in the court of public opinion long before we were given a fair hearing.

27 Days of Life Lessons

I’ve always admired Black Rights activists, especially Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison. It’s humbling to reflect on his sacrifice now that I’ve endured my own version—a harrowing 27 days behind bars. Those days taught me more about life, freedom, and resilience than any classroom, textbook or skills course ever could.

I learned to value the simplest of freedoms:

• I learned to value freedom: The simple acts of walking, eating, hugging my daughters, or just holding my phone became treasures I had taken for granted.
• I learned resilience: Facing interrogation from the CBI, NIA, Crime Branch, and Local Police, I saw the extent to which systems can break you if you let them.
• I learned to find strength in faith: When everything else seems lost, it’s your belief—in yourself, in your purpose, in a higher goal — that keeps you grounded.

I also learned the hard truth about prejudice, misinformation, and how society judges individuals based on accusations rather than evidence.

Why Me?

When I reflect on this episode from over half a decade ago, it still sends shudders down my spine. In those moments, I often asked, “Why me?” I could have become bitter—angry at the system, society, and the media. But I chose to be better. My family, friends, and faith kept me going. Their unwavering belief in my work reminded me that one episode doesn’t define a lifetime.

It’s said, every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. I am no saint, but I am certainly not a sinner either. I am a dreamer (yes, my daughter is a BTS fan, and I can’t help but borrow their words!).

I left a posh corporate job for my own Swades moment, returning to India to revolutionize education. Allegations and accusations haven’t deterred me from that goal. I haven’t changed my residence, my phone number, or my commitment to making education better for future generations. I #BleedBlue and my patriotism is unwavering. From Kochi to Kolkata, I love teaching teachers and meeting students, then and now.

Education: My Redemption

Despite the ordeal, I continue to work for what I believe in—education that transforms. Through Golden Sparrow Education, I’ve dedicated myself to sustainable development, life skills, and empowering young minds.

That brush with the law could have shattered me, but it has become a powerful reminder of why I do what I do. Prejudice and misinformation exist, but so does the power of knowledge and understanding.

I often tell my students and colleagues:

• Life doesn’t define you by your darkest episodes; it defines you by how you rise from them.
• Adversity can make you bitter, or it can make you better. The choice is yours.

I may be a little greyer, a little wiser, and yes, even better-looking than I was five years ago, but my purpose remains the same.

If life’s chapters have taught me one thing, it’s this: No accusation can diminish the truth, no label can define your purpose, and no setback can erase your determination.

Dr. Dawood Vaid Dreamer, Educator, and Survivor Golden Sparrow Education | Mindset Coaching | Life Skills Advocate Let’s build the future, one lesson at a time.

#EducationMatters #MindsetShift #Resilience #GoldenSparrowEducation