MAHARSHTRA: Ambadas Maske, a 24-year-old from Jalna district in Maharashtra, recently joined Honda Research and Development in Japan as a data analyst. Scores of techies from India join multinational companies across the world anyway. What makes Maske special? Well, his journey has been a story of conquering adversities all through.
Ambadas’ grandfather used to remove the carcasses of animals for livelihood. Father Bandu Maske was a construction worker away in Pune and Mumbai. Growing-up years of children of construction workers have never been pleasant. Ambadas says: “Most of the construction labourers’ children end up their life at a construction site only, first playing bricks and stones and working as a child labourer then as a permanent labourer as a replacement of parent at the same or a at different construction site of the developers.”
Ambadas was, however, lucky. His mother always dreamt of sending her children to school. She believed good education could change their lives and fate. “My parents were keen to send us to school. They enrolled me in the Municipal Corporation School in Navi Mumbai. Since it was a government-run school, parents were spared of fee burden and other expenses. The school provided us with not only textbooks and uniforms but also food through the mid-day meal scheme,” Ambadas said.
Ambadas completed his primary education in Navi Mumbai. But it wasn’t a smooth ride afterwards. His parents lost their job and they were forced again to migrate to Pune in search of another job. Ambadas missed school and classes. “My parents did not want to see their children deprived of education due to their migration from one place to another place. Then my parents took the decision to send us to our home village Partur in Jalna District with our grandparents.”
His grandparents had no land or pukka house. “We had a makeshift house. My parents used to send money orders every month and with the help of this small amount, we resumed our education journey in the Government-run Zilla Parishad School at Parthur. I again decided to concentrate on education,” he said.
Ambadas finished matriculation with 92 per cent marks without private coaching. He scored 85 per cent in his class XII. “I got admitted to the Government College of Engineering in Pune for BTech (Planning). I learned a lot during my four-year engineering course,” Ambadas says.
Ambadas says he faced tough problems due to his social and financial backwardness. “The major issue was language. Most of the students in our class used to speak in English while my English was not up to the mark. I subsequently improved it by reading books, and watching videos on YouTube as well as English movies. I strongly believed in myself, therefore I did not face any major such issues during my college days,” he said. He says his teachers during his primary education and college days played a vital role, in shaping his personality and helping him in education.
“My teacher believed in me and in my ability and potential…. During my school days, I took many competitive exams that developed me as a different person altogether. I developed analytical thinking, solving the problem with different methods. These things helped me to crack the entrance exam and secure admission for MTech in IIT Bombay.”
“My mother always wanted to see me sitting in the air-conditioner cabin because she thought that air-conditioning means the person has done something big in his life. Therefore he can sit in an AC cabin and work. That was her concept of education and development,” he says.
After completing MTech, Ambadas immediately got an opportunity to work as a data scientist in Honda Research and Development. “I never dreamt that one day I would work in Japan. The change has happened because of education and education only. I believe in myself and my parents believed in me. I had no big expectations from life. I am focusing more on my present. We decided to construct a new house in our village. My brother is pursuing PhD and my sister has done nursing courses.
“This is a small but positive beginning. I have to go a long way because there are many Ambadas in society who have yet to get the taste of education. There are many Ambadas like me who are at construction sites roaming here and there and helping their parents. We need to bring all these neglected sections of society into the mainstream and give them a good education. I am confident the education will bring the positive change in their life also like it brought in my life,” Ambadas added.
‘A small but positive beginning’
“This is a small but positive beginning. I have to go a long way because there are many Ambadas in society who have yet to get the taste of education. There are many Ambadas like me who are at construction sites roaming here and there and helping their parents. We need to bring all these neglected sections of society into the mainstream and give them a good education. I am confident the education will bring the positive change in their life also like it brought in my life,” Ambadas said. Ambadas was lucky. His mother always dreamt of sending her children to school. She believed good education can change their lives and fate.