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Bullet Baby: Born under Fire in Mumbai

The five-year-old who became a symbol of new life for Mumbai after the attacks in 2008.

Five-year-old Goli was born during the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people died. Her mother Viju Lakshman Chavan gave birth as a gunfight raged in the corridors of the hospital. Goli, whose name means 'bullet', became a symbol of new life for the battered city.

The Cuban ballet dancer, Carlos Acosta, is one of the leading lights of the British Royal Ballet. He was one of eleven children born to a truck driver in Havana. Carlos could have joined his friends in a life of petty crime, but chance took him to Cuba's state-run National Ballet School.

Like thousands of young Tunisians, 30-year-old Mohamed Akermi risked his life to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. But he returned to his homeland just days before the revolution started. He now lives in one of the slums in the capital, Tunis. And he has become an unlikely star of community radio.

When he was in high school in Alabama, Orrin Hudson's teacher taught him to play chess - and Orrin says learning how to make good decisions on the chessboard helped Orrin make choices which saved his life. Now he wants to do the same for a million other children.

Available now

55 minutes

Last on

Wed 8 Jan 2014 03:06GMT

Mohamed Akermi

Mohamed Akermi

Like thousands of Tunisians, Mohamed risked his life crossing the Mediterranean, in the hope of finding a better life in Europe. He now works as a presenter on a community radio station in Sidi Hassine, one of the poorest areas of the Tunisian capital.

Broadcasts

  • Tue 7 Jan 2014 12:06GMT
  • Tue 7 Jan 2014 23:06GMT
  • Wed 8 Jan 2014 03:06GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected