"All throughout my life, I've heard relatives telling me, 'Don't dream too big!' But I was lucky enough to have supportive parents, parents who inspired me. Papa was a farmer. Every morning, he'd wake up at 6 and go to the field. He'd work for 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Maa had set up a little parlour at home for the women in the village. So, I built myself to be as driven as them. Even at the young age of 11, I'd fixed a routine for myself-when I'd come back from school, I'd finish my homework and study; I enjoyed learning so much. I think all your life, when you're told, 'You have to get married', it just pushes you to do more. So, not only did I study hard, I was amongst the top 3 in school! And in my free time, I'd cook biryani with my sister, play badminton and watch movies!
And you know it was while watching one of these movies that I decided, 'I'm going to become a teacher.' So I studied hard & excelled in my 12th boards. But for college Papa said, 'It's not affordable.'; I was heartbroken. But thankfully, since I was a class topper, the college offered me a free seat and I went ahead and did engineering. I enjoyed every bit of it-the early morning classes, the assignments and even the exams! Yes…I actually loved it!
But then in 2020, after I graduated with an engineering degree, I moved back home due to the pandemic and Papa's deteriorating health. It was tough-we had to lease out our land; we were barely earning. We didn't have money; we'd already borrowed a lot for Papa's treatment. And so I decided, 'I'll step up and take care of them.' Papa supported me; in fact, he borrowed money from his friend so I could buy a laptop. I studied for almost 9 hours a day for an entrance exam and passed with flying colors! And right after, I even got a high paying job at an MNC!
It was overwhelming- with my first salary, I bought a bike for Papa and sarees for Maa! It felt nice, you know…to give back to them. But in spite of all of this, I'm still asked, 'Why don't you get married?' But today, at 23, I'm paying my sisters' college fees and even taking care of Maa and Papa financially. Humans of Bombay, Fb
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