LUCKNOW: The call from the District Magistrate caught Ram Sewak off gaurd; the 16-year-old, the first from his village to clear the Class 10 board exams, hardly understood the gravity of his accomplishment. ‘How would he face the officer without shoes on his feet?’ – that was all he could think about.
“When DM sahab called me to honour me, I had neither proper clothes nor shoes. In fact, it was the first time I wore shoes in my life,” Ram Sewak says.
In 78 years of Independence, Ram Sewak became the first from Nizampur village in UP’s Barabanki to pass a board exam, securing 55% marks.
What makes him stand out though is his struggle against the odds, inspiring many like him to follow the suit and pursue education.
Nizampur, some 28 km interior of the district headquarters, has population of 300. The village comprisises a paved road, a primary school, and a temple. Most of the men from the village are engaged as daily wagers. So is Ram Sewak’s father Jagdish Prasad.
In marriage processions, Ram Sewak carries lights on his head to bring in some extra income for the family. The hut in which the family of seven, comprising Ram Sewak, his father Jagdish Prasad, mother Pushpa, two younger brothers and two sisters, put up, has two rooms and a thatched roof. One room houses fodder for the cattle and other room is used to house the whole family.
“Poverty makes one do everything. In the wedding season, I carry lights on my head accompanying wedding processions; it brings Rs 200-300 per night. When the wedding season is off, I work as labourer. Whatever, I earn, I spend on my studies; books, fees,” says Ram Sewak. “I deposited Rs 2,100 for Class 10 from the same money which I had saved,” he shares.
The house has no electricity, but a solar light, provided under an MLA quota, helps them at night. This is where Ram Sevak would study after working during the day.
Narrating his story, Ram Sewak shares his dream to become an engineer. “I started my studies from the village primary school, achieved this first significant milestone of life and now my dream is to become an engineer,” he says.
Ram Sewak’s mother Pushpa cooks mid-day meals in the primary school. She says after completing his studies till class five, Ram Sewak took admission in Class 6 at Government Inter College, 500 metres from the village.
The proud mother says her son kept on clearing the classes with good marks and appeared for the board exam this year. “When I was preparing for Class 10, everyone in the village used to dissuade me saying, ‘you are wasting time on studies’; ‘you will never be able to clear the exam’. I used to keep quiet just to prove them wrong,” says the boy with burning determination in his eyes.