A date at Laie’s cafe in Barcelona fills her with anticipation. The place is described by others as the best cafe-bookstore in Barcelona, a label that lingers in the air as a testament to its atmosphere. Emin Sheikh remembers a similar space he once founded in Mumbai for street kids, a haven where people could find a quiet corner with a book and a warm cup. From humble beginnings as a garbage man to the author who penned a memoir of his life, his journey now brings him to the Catalan capital, a city he had always dreamed of visiting. He believes that Barcelona opened his eyes and offered him a wider view of what life could be.
Before you begin, write your name here to spell it correctly.
That’s interesting. No one has ever said Amen to me before. I was labeled garbage boy. Nobody wanted to touch me: I smelled, I was dirty…
Did you know your family?
A seam of hardship ran through his childhood. They married out of necessity, almost by logic, without knowing each other. He lived in a factory; she was seventeen. The honeymoon was spent within those walls. A year later, he was born, followed by two sisters. The family endured extreme poverty in a small hut, every day a challenge.
What happened then? Did they leave you?
At five, he started working on the street, selling tea for a couple of cents and enduring pushy crowds. Glasses shattered in moments of fear. His mother’s punishments were harsh, and his stepfather wielded control with a belt or bamboo. Fear kept him on the run, eventually seeking refuge at a police station where other children scavenged from the garbage.
Five years old left on the street?
Yes. That night he cried, and a stranger raped him. It happened repeatedly, leaving him with a deep sense of confusion and pain. He refused to pity the wrongdoers, recognizing that millions of children face similar fates every day.
But his luck has changed.
One day something felt like magic. Europe often seems full of abundance, yet his belief in magic felt earned as he reconnected with his sister. She had faced danger of her own, nearly sold into trafficking, but a taxi driver helped her escape. The next morning an unexpected ally appeared, a sister named Seraphine. Her warmth began to melt the walls he had built around himself. She guided him to an orphanage run by Catalan Jesuits, and he learned to take pride in the place he lived.
How to fight distrust of street children?
Distrust grows when nothing is done for you. Freedom becomes the guiding principle. He once wandered from the orphanage, thinking change might lie elsewhere, but the truth settled in that the state of a child often reflects the way grown-ups treat them. The world must learn to nurture and protect, to treat children like a garden that needs tending so it does not turn into a forest.
Did he go to school in the orphanage?
Education opened a door he had not imagined. The school offered him a chance to be equal, to be recognized as human. Money can fund access to schooling, but the real value lies in the dignity and opportunity it creates. People dream of distant milestones, yet the most basic needs—food and shelter—should not be optional.
Does your child know your story?
Yes, and he is immensely proud. He spent time in the orphanage to understand how his father lived, to see the path that brought him to the present moment.
There has been a drastic change…
Change arrived gradually through the support of family and community. His sister works as a nurse with Doctors Without Borders, and his own journey took him from taxi driving toward art and storytelling. The people at the orphanage helped him find work, and a collaboration with a painter from Bombay broadened his horizons. For the first time, people asked his name, offered a hug, and invited him to share his experiences. That moment became the bridge to many Catalans and, in 2003, a ticket to his dream city, Barcelona.
What did you think of the city?
Barcelona revealed the value of belonging and the right to be heard. He encountered hospitality that felt like family, and even the ordinary act of sharing a meal carried a sense of dignity. He remembered being told to sit with everyone, not on the edge of a crowded room, and the simple kindness stuck with him.
Returning to India could not be easy.
Freedom followed his choices. The boss who gave him a chance allowed him to forge a new life as a tour guide, meeting people who broadened his horizon. The Catalans he met along the way contributed to writing his book and the dream of opening a cafe that offered more than coffee.
How does the project work?
It welcomes street children over eighteen and draws from a mix of backgrounds—some from orphanages, others from the barracks. It stands out as a cafe that provides free water to all, a space where customers are treated as equals. The effort has not shied away from tough choices; it is said that more than twenty customers were asked to leave for abusing others, and several young people have gone on to college through the support they received. The project centers on empowerment, dignity, and practical opportunities for growth.