Gadchiroli boy fulfils illiterate parents’ dream, cracks NEET

Nagpur: 18-year-old Raju Durgam’s parents never attended school, and struggle to eke out a living through menial labour jobs, apart from relying on their 2 acre farm for produce. But the Durgam couple, based at Sironcha in Gadchiroli district, had a strong desire to get their son educated, a long journey which culminated on Tuesday when their son Raju cracked NEET and is certain of a seat in a top government college.
Raju said, “My parents cannot read or write, but they always wanted me to get a proper education. They work on the farm, which helps to sustain us, apart from taking up odd jobs. On an average they earn around Rs75,000 per year.”

That did not deter his parents from spending ₹20,000 annually for his hostel and education fees in Sironcha town. “After studying till Std III in my village, I had to move out for higher classes. My parents did not think twice about it and ensured that they saved up money for my lodging and boarding, apart from the school fees at Gadchiroli,” said Raju.
Fortunately, Raju was able to cope with the English-medium studies since he was introduced to it at primary level itself. “After my Std X, I met a relative who had just come back from Pune. He was studying there and suggested that I too must make the move because of more options available for competitive exams,” said Raju.
Again, his parents did not get intimidated by the cost and shelled out over Rs20,000 for his initial expenses. But they were spared from shelling out more, as very soon Raju came in contact with a NGO at Pune, which bore his further expenses and helped him reach his goal.
While Raju was enrolled in basic science course, it’s here that he came in contact with Pune NGO Lift For Upliftment (LFU). Dr Atul Dhakne, the organization’s president, and his team has helped tribals from Melghat, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur etc to crack NEET by providing free residential coaching.
TOI had reported about how a group of doctors and MBBS students from Pune, volunteer to coach tribal students for NEET. Through public-private partnership and donations, they are able to provide free residential coaching to these tribal students.
Dr Dhakne, who recently secured a high rank in the UPSC exams and will be moving into civil service training, said, “Our ultimate mission is to have hundreds of tribals cracking NEET every year. We need to empower our tribal community.”
Raju, who scored 542 marks, is guaranteed a spot in a top government college as he will get benefit of the tribal quota. “After I complete my education, I wish to come back to Gadchiroli and serve the community here,” says Raju.