by Rucha Satoor
It is not often that one hears about the success story of a teen bride, but Neeta Gholke* is an exception. Today she’s an all-powerful Forest Officer in Chandrapur’s Tadoba-Andhari National Park, the largest tiger reserve in Maharashtra, but her struggle behind this accomplishment is real and inspiring.
Neeta hails from a small village in the drought-prone Beed district of Maharashtra. Beed faces annual droughts and mass migration of labourers who toil in the sugarcane farms in Maharashtra and its bordering states. Her family, like others in the village, made end meet as small-time farmers for six months and spent the rest of the year labouring as contractual farm workers.
Maharashtra is one of the largest sugarcane producing states in India, and the sugar industry employs a significant number of migrant workers. According to a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), in 2018, there were an estimated 5,00,000 migrant sugarcane cutters in the state. And they have no choice but to make peace with their low wages, long back-breaking hours, and cramped and unsanitary living conditions. Child labour is rampant in this industry, with children as young as six years accompanying their parents as cane cutters in some areas, and the fields are infamous for being unsafe for young girls, especially unmarried ones. Consequently, Neeta’s father decided against taking their only daughter along and left her behind with her ageing grandmother, Tarabai.
Year-after-year, Tarabai, took care of her granddaughter in the long absence of her parents and little Neeta made up her mind to make education her ticket out of this vicious cycle of drudgery and poverty. But it was easier said than done since no one in her family was educated and, in fact, her own mother was married at 12.
Underage marriages are the norm in Beed. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the district recorded the highest number of child marriages in the state in 2019. Nearly 221 cases were registered, accounting for 30 per cent of all such cases in Maharashtra. A survey conducted by the NGO, Child Rights and You (CRY) in Beed in 2020 found that despite efforts to check child marriage, the practice continues to thrive—41 per cent of girls in the district are married before the legal age of 18, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the situation, as parents get desperate to “settle” their daughters.
Was Neeta’s fate going to be like her mother’s? Well, thankfully, Neeta’s mother had other aspirations for her—she was invested in ensuring her schooling, despite the dictate of early marriage in their community. Till Class Five, Neeta school was five kilometres away and the little girl religiously trudged there every day for her classes. But as she was getting ready to enrol into Class Six there was a major hurdle: the secondary school was in the nearby town and her father was opposed to the idea of her travelling or living in a hostel far from home. But as luck would have it, the same year a secondary school was established in her own village, allowing Neeta to continue with her studies.
As Neeta progressed to Class Seven, she witnessed a discouraging incident—one of her classmates left because she was getting married. And, unfortunately this became a trend as two to three girls from her school got married each year, by the time she graduated Class 10. Neeta wasn’t discouraged and excelled in her studies, securing first place in the village in Class 10. Her good performance was recognised by the Gram Panchayat, which organised a felicitation ceremony, inviting her parents for it. Seeing their daughter’s academic success, even her father was happy to continue supporting her education.
However, Neeta’s dream run ended abruptly when a girl from her village eloped. Fearing that their daughter might become “too independent” or “take a wrong decision” her parents decided to marry her off to a boy from a nearby village. She had no say in the matter and was unable to convince her parents otherwise.
Neeta recollects spending the next seven years of her life caught up in domestic chores and slogging endlessly in the fields. She also tragically lost her first child in a miscarriage. What kept her going was the support of her in-laws and husband. Time and again, they encouraged her to get back to school, complete her education, and look for a job. Seven years after she had dropped out Neeta finished school and applied for D. Ed (diploma in education). Since her husband had already done his D. Ed, he guided her through the course. However, getting the diploma didn’t guarantee her a job—she missed out on several opportunities and was unable to secure a teacher’s position in the government system.
Luckily for Neeta, her husband and in-laws were supportive of education and valued it. Physical fitness is one of the precursors for success in civil service exams. Neeta had to run - but married women, especially those who are mothers, running in the village was considered a taboo. That was when Neeta’s husband decided to start running with her. Every morning, the couple would put on their running shoes and run in the village. This helped Neeta create a physical fitness regime, and her husband’s presence supported her in gaining acceptability.
Eventually, Neeta cleared the Forest Officer entrance exam and over a period of time, coached and guided other first generation learners in her village to achieve the same. While she was the first person in her village to clear the competitive exam, today, more than 14 other young people have cleared it too, thanks to Neeta’s guidance. “Once a person from a marginalized community is able to make way for themselves, in a new field, we’re able to create more opportunities for newer people to enter by guiding them and sharing our experiences.”
Out of the 14 new officers, five are young women.
When asked what are her dreams for her children, she replies, “Today, I believe I’m going to give both my children every opportunity to be whatever they want. I will not burden them with the weight of my expectations. But my husband and I would like to create as many opportunities for them as possible!”
Education and career were not easy milestones to achieve for her. “I remember, there was a time when my teacher had asked us to get tiffins to school. My grandmother, who had never been to school herself, wrapped a simple bhakri and chutney in a cloth. When I took out my lunch in school, everyone laughed - this is not how tiffins looked. I cried when I got home and asked my aaji to get me a steel tiffin. It was hard to make ends meet and buying a tiffin was simply not possible. She, however, somehow got me one.”
Neeta’s story is one of grit and determination. Despite the challenges she faced growing up, especially the threat of underage marriage, she was able to finish her studies and eventually become a forest officer. Her mother's initial support, and the opportunity to attend a secondary school in her own village, played a crucial role in her journey to become independent.
The Maharashtra government has taken several steps to address the issue of child marriage and girl child rights in the state. In 2020, the Balika Sanrakshan Abhiyan (Girl Child Protection Campaign) was launched to prevent child marriages and promote the education of girls. The campaign mandates regular community outreach, awareness drives, and even offers financial incentives to families who delay their daughters' marriages.
But ultimately, it is the lived experiences and triumphs of women like Neeta that are a reminder that we need to continuously strive to break down the barriers that prevent young girls from living their best life.
*Name changed to protect the identity