Akash Gokul Chikte

Those tears in my father’s eyes that day were tears of joy, tears that contained the pain of all the hardship and struggle he has endured throughout his life.
My parents are farmers, and I was born into a farming family in a small village in Maharashtra. Life was so difficult that my mother returned to work in the fields three months after I was born.
When I returned to the village, after failing 2 subjects in 12th, I was teased by everyone. I was from Marathi medium, hence grasping the texts in English was not easy. Even though I had the scholarship, everyone doubted if a farmer’s son would achieve much.
Amidst the woes, my father fell ill at that time. To meet the expenses, I took up a job that paid me Rs. 1200 per month. Alongside, I managed to clear exams on my 2nd attempt and decided to pursue engineering. The expenses skyrocketed, so much so that my mother had to sell her ornaments. I completed my engineering but failed to find a job.
After that, I borrowed some money and began studying for the GATE exam. Meanwhile, my parents planned my sister’s wedding. To manage the expenses, we had to sell our cattle. I was desperate for work at the time, but constant rejection left me with a broken heart. I had small jobs to take care of some expenses. I worked as a data operator and as a guest lecturer even though they were not paying well. I had to… as I never wanted to be a burden on my family
With some assistance from our relatives, we began to work in agriculture. That slightly improved our situation. I decided to pursue an MTech at that time and used up all of my savings However, my hopes were dashed as COVID arrived and everything fell apart.
I moved to Pune and began learning IT skills. I started working in a production factory. I also took up a job in sales to help pay off my debt. There were times when I would only eat once a day. But after numerous rejections, my perseverance paid off, and I was able to land a job with a respectable salary.
Coming to this point in my life, I have come to believe that dreams come true when we never give up without bothering what others have to say. We need to keep believing in ourselves. When I joined the job, my father was in tears. Those tears in my father’s eyes that day were proof that I, his son, could now fulfill all of his dreams.
Total Work Experience : 3 Years (Birlasoft Ltd.)