Gaurish Rajguru & Prerna Gaikwad

As thousands of students became a part of the 90+ score club in the state, one may wonder what’s so special about the 78 per cent scored by 18-year-old Gaurish Rajguru, an Arts student from Fergusson College, who has her heart set on becoming an IAS officer.

For her mother, Shobhana, there could not have been a bigger feat. Shobhana (35) has been a wastepicker for nine years. Apart from her main job, she does odd jobs like cleaning and cooking in some houses. “I am very proud of my daughter. I have just studied till Class VII but Gaurish is achieving so much more,” she said.

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Rajguru, who wishes to pursue her Bachelor’s in history and sociology, hails from a humble background, but has not let that hamper her dreams. Using the enforced vacations during lockdown to research regional mathematics formulas and theories and the history behind their evolution, the youngster shared that her friends edged her towards Korean TV dramas, for which she has a new-found love.

“One of my classmates introduced me to Korean and K-Pop culture. It fascinated me to a point that I went online on YouTube and watched the shows with subtitles. Gradually, I was able to figure out the language bit by bit during the vacation after the exams. I would not say I am an expert but I am enjoying it. Soon, I will teach some of it to my siblings and parents,” she said.

For Prerna Gaikwad, whose mother works as a wastepicker, her preparation for her next career move began at her kitchen, as she tried new recipes which she had seen online. With a score of 76.3 per cent in Commerce, the 17-year-old wishes to become a chef. “I want to pursue hotel management and I hope I make it. I utilised the time to develop my skills and I eventually made pizza and noodles with whatever was available at home by watching tutorials on the internet,” said Gaikwad.

Meanwhile, Sandesh Havle is determined to retain his focus on becoming a mechanical engineer. Havle, who scored 73 per cent in his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering under Maharashtra State Board Of Technical Education (MSBTE) from Sant Tukaram Polytechnic, Talegaon, wishes to go home to his mother after he achieves his dream.

“My mother is a wastepicker and she works very hard to make ends meet. My aim is to become a mechanical engineer and once I do that, I will come back to help my mother. I have had her full support throughout and I am hopeful about getting into a good college to turn my goal into reality,” said Havle.

When he does not have his head buried in books, Havle is busy dancing and learning German. “We have a group of four at the ashram here in Dabodi and we practice occasionally. I also started learning German on an app on my phone,” he said.