With December comes the season of annual day rehearsals in schools across Mumbai. But in a bold departure from tradition, Lion MP Bhuta School in Sion has replaced the usual dance and drama programmes with something far more practical, an event that teaches its students real-world skills.

Located inside a Jain housing society, the school draws most of its students from the slums of Dharavi and Matunga Labour Camp. Many are first-generation learners whose parents work as domestic workers, drivers, potters, steelware sellers, restaurant staff and hawkers.