Our family was made up of four - Aai, my father, my elder brother Sachin and me. Morkhadi, a village in Beed (Maharashtra) is where we’re originally from, we have four acres of land. Since Beed is a drought-prone region, drinking water is scarce. For farming one has no option but to rely on the rains.
About twenty years ago, our family came to Someshwar in Baramati district, in search of a means to survive. In the early days, my father used to haul sacks of sugar in the Someshwar (Sugar) Factory. However, some years later, as he had jumped from a height during work, he ended up injuring his back and had to leave his work. Since, we couldn’t eat unless we worked everyday, we had to find new work. So he started to work as a sugarcane cutter (still does!) Done! Our initial household under a tin roof, was now a household under a roof made of straw.
My mother is a very hardworking woman. She used to tell us, brothers, “We are poor. So, you need to work as well as go to school.” Earn-and-learn was her mantra.
She firmly believed that her children need to be well-educated. Most poor, uneducated people believe the same - that their children should earn so that there’s enough money to survive, but how long and how much that money will last, no one really knows.
Both my brother and I were working on the one hand and getting educated on the other. I remember, when I was in the fourth standard, we bought a cycle. That was when my real journey started. Get up at 3 am, tie the cycle in to bullock-cart and go to the sugarcane field for work. Cut sugarcane till 8 am. Then return to the hut, get ready for school and attend it from 10.30 am onwards. This routine continued right upto my 10th standard.
Upto the fourth standard, I always stood first in my class. Not only was I doing well in my studies, I used to give speeches in school programmes. For this very reason, I was appointed the Deputy Chief Minister of my school.
However, I was in a new school after the fifth standard. I went from a primary school to a high school. The number of children in my class grew, but the fees weren’t much. Annually we paid 200 rupees, in the afternoon we used to get enough rice to fill our stomachs, and since I was a poor but outstanding student, I used to receive at least one uniform for free per year. As I grew a little older, I started working with a catering business. Hence, I had to miss school once in a while.
Apart from that, school was also missed for going swimming with my friends, playing with marbles, viti-dandu etc. But whenever I did go to school, I used to be focused entirely on what our teachers were teaching. However, now since I was missing school, I wasn’t number one in class; but probably second or third. Whenever I missed school, I used to get myself updated from my friends.
The conditions at home, from the very beginning, were quite precarious. Add to that, my father used to drink and fight at home. That had an adverse effect on us. In the monsoons, water used to flood in from all sides in our little straw hut. So, we had to gather all our belongings and pile them in the centre of the hut. Scared of the rains, I couldn’t go too far to play. Once it started raining, my feet dragged me to our hut, out of the fear of all our belongings getting soaked. Even today, whenever it rains, my heart is filled with a restlessness, I feel quite out of sorts.
Time passed, I reached the ninth standard. My score was average - neither a lot, nor too less. I entered the 10th. Even though it was the tenth standard, I couldn’t focus in school. Throughout the year, I barely had 50-60% attendance. In the remaining time, I went for catering and wrestled. I hadn’t started studying at home either.
When December dawned, I was finally awakened. My elder brother on the one hand, and my teachers on the other were trying to convince me about the importance of scoring well.
Something has to be done now, I started feeling quite strongly. I went for catering for two days and earned Rs. 400. I went straight to Vivekananda Study Centre and got myself admitted. I talked to my parents and stopped cutting sugarcane for a few days. However, when you go for cutting, please do wake me up, I requested. As decided, they used to wake me up every morning. Then, I used to study in the Study Centre from 4 am onwards. There were hardly two months left for the exam. Hence, ‘smart study’ was crucial. I looked at the school time-table, and attended only the most crucial classes. The rest of the time, I was studying with a single-minded focus in the Study Centre. I acquired earlier question papers, and focused my attention the ‘Best of Five’ subjects. For the next two months, I studied consistently from 4 am till 11-11.30 am.
I gave my exam with caution, and then joined my mother at work, picking up crates in tomato fields. The holidays were ending just as rapidly as the date of the results were approaching.
I worked even on the day the results arrived. I wasn’t going to be able to go online for the results, as I only had a button phone.
On the same afternoon, I received a call from my friend. I had scored 91.20%, he said. I knew I would get good marks, but never expected to get such great marks! As they say, ‘Denewala jabhi deta, deta chhapar fadke!’ This proved accurately true.
My mother wouldn’t understand how many marks I had scored. So I shared, ‘Aga Mamme, I scored a lot of marks!’ and that was the moment when tears started sliding down both of our cheeks. She was content about me getting returns for the hard work that I had invested.
Along with us, everyone in my neighbourhood was happy. I was showered with praises. I, however, continued to play with my friends. That’s when, our class teacher, Pisal Madam, spotted me as she walked by. She called me, I went to her. “You have not only stood first in our class, but you have stood first amongst all the students in our school!” She was very well-aware of my condition, my hard work. She congratulated me, and handed over Rs. 100 for buying pedhas.
Chachar sir from Asha (a partner of Tata Trusts, working on delivering quality education for children of sugarcane cutters), and over a hundred people from the Asha Foundation called to congratulate me. Hemant Dada and Samiksha Tai, came over to my hut two days later, to interview me and suggest my name to Maharashtra Times (MT). I was selected for a grant from MT , which it awards to selected students who have scored more than 90% and who are from underprivileged backgrounds. In a month, MT also printed a feature with my photo on it. The grant would cover all the expenses for my further education.
I had received admission in the Government Polytechique at Pune and after completing it, I’m currently studying Engineering. My journey isn’t over yet. But I’m two steps ahead of where I was earlier. Every night as I’m about to sleep, I hold this contentment very close to my heart. I’m alert and ready to embrace my future.
- Somnath Raosaheb Randave
somnathrandave@gmail.com
This story is translated by Rucha Satoor. It was originally published in the Marathi periodical Palakniti in the March 2023 edition.
Featured image is for representational purposes only.