05-05-2025
Undeterred by adversity, waste pickers children score to shape better lives
Pune: On a day when the spotlight often shines on top scorers, 66.1% in the HSC vocational stream may not stand out. However, for Rohit Mohite, it represents a mountain of resilience and sacrifice.
Living with a lifelong seizure condition, Rohit, the son of waste pickers belonging to the
Swach organisation
, struggled to secure school admission. Frequent seizures and hospitalisations forced him to miss months of school and repeat Std X five times.
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Yet, Rohit never gave up. "I want to work and support my parents. I dream of completing a degree and finding a job to ease their burden. So far, no one has hired me because of my condition, but with a degree, maybe someone will. I'm hopeful," Rohit, who lives in Warje, said.
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Shruti Jadhav, another student from a Swach worker family, scored an impressive 82.1% in the arts stream from Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Shivajinagar.
"My elder siblings are pursuing their graduation, but I've scored the highest. I would be at college from 7am to 4pm, study another hour in the library, help with housework after returning home, and revise again before bedtime. We couldn't afford tuitions, so I managed on my own. I worked really hard, and it feels great to see my parents happy," Shruti said.
The low-interest education loan taken by her parents through Swach is keeping her and her siblings in school.
Meenakshi Ingale, who scored 81% in commerce, said she wants to graduate, take a computer course, and work in a bank. "I was expecting around 75%, so 81% was a pleasant surprise," she said.
Several other children of waste pickers have overcome significant odds to succeed in their HSC exams. Sakshi Phadke with 77.8% (commerce), Sairaj Sonawane with 73% (commerce), Harsh Mahavir with 51% (science), and Sakshi Kamble with 64% (science) are among them.
