New Delhi: In 2004, Ramjal Meena was forced to discontinue his studies during graduation in order to eke out a living for his family. Their financial condition was terrible and he joined his father in labour work in Karauli, a village in Rajasthan, where he was born.
While Meena’s dream to study further was cut short when he joined New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 2014 as a security guard, in a stroke of luck, he qualified as a student at the prestigious university five years later.
“2004 me padhai ko viraam lag gaya tha, lekin ab main wapas padhai karunga (In 2004, there was a full stop to my education but now I can pursue it further)," he said on Tuesday.
Meena studied in a government school in Karauli, got married in 2003, and was forced to discontinue his education after the first year in college. While on the way to his village, the oldest of five siblings expressed his happiness at having cleared the prestigious exam.
“There was a time when I had to rethink my education. My father was alone in his struggle, I discontinued my studies and joined him to get money home,” he said.
With hard work and faith, Meena applied for the university’s entrance exam and last week cleared the Russian (Honours) programme. He spent six hours studying as and when he got time, scouting for reading material and newspapers all the while performing his job as a guard.
“I studied for four, sometimes six hours a day. I had to work as well… for me, it was important to crack this exam,” he said. All this while, students as well as teachers at the university supported him and also gave him reading material for preparation.
Now set to be a student at JNU, Meena said he opted for Russian because he likes foreign languages and his heart went for it.
“I chose Russian only because my heart was in language studies. I wanted to learn a foreign language,” he said.
Meena stays in Munirka with his wife and three daughters. He wants to crack the All India Services and is keen on making it as an IAS, IPS or into the foreign services. Even after he takes up studies, he will have to continue working to keep a monthly income coming in. “The situation was so challenging back then, forcing me to discontinue my education. Today, I am a JNU student.”
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