RANCHI: Dhananjay Kumar Hembrom, a resident of Jharkhand’s Godda who had hit headlines for showing extraordinary courage in helping his pregnant wife chase her dreams of becoming a school teacher and covered a distance of over 1,200 km up to Gwalior in MP on a rickety scooter in September last year, is struggling to make ends meet.
Working as a waiter at a restaurant in Godda, Dhananjay, 27, now finds it difficult to fulfil the requirement of his wife Soni Hembrom, 22, and their three-month-old child. As there has been no option left to increase his income at home in the time of the pandemic, Dhananjay has decided to go back to Ahmedabad on March 14 to work as a cook at a private yarn factory there.
“Initially, I thought that I would never leave my family alone and took the job of a waiter at a local restaurant. But later, I realised that it is very difficult to manage the family with the salary I am getting here,” says Dhananjay. Soni had enrolled herself with the MP Board of Secondary Education in 2019 as the fee there was much less than that in Jharkhand. Dhananjay, was working as a cook with a private firm in Gujarat and had to spend his savings of Rs 30,000 to return home.
When the exam dates were announced in September, Soni mortgaged whatever ornaments she had to arrange money for travel. But the couple learnt that it was not enough for a train or bus ticket. Undeterred, they finally set out on their scooter. Unfortunately, Soni could not clear the English paper. The couple recently went to Gwalior for her re-examination after local MLA Deepika Pandey bore their travel expenses. “This time, my wife is quite sure that she will get through the examination and secure a diploma,” says Dhananjay.