Ragpicker’s son gets admission to medical college in Bhopal

A ragpicker in Indore feels triumph over poverty as her 25-year-old son has bagged a chance to study at a reputed medical college in Bhopal.

A ragpicker in Indore feels triumph over poverty as her 25-year-old son has bagged a chance to study at a reputed medical college in Bhopal.

Dev Kor outside her house in a slum of Indore. (HT photo)

After Dev Kor’s husband, an epilepsy patient, gave up rag-picking, she took up the fruitless job to support the family and fund education of her son Vijay (name changed on request). “We were three siblings and it was very normal for us to end up being uneducated and unemployed,” said Vijay, a first year student of Bachelors in Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery.

Living in a slum area, Vijay’s mother took educational loans. “I’ve taken loans from private moneylenders for my son’s studies and am still repaying it monthly,” said Kor. Meanwhile, Vijay started working as a domestic help to ease pressure on his parents. “I was around 10 years old when a doctor in our area asked me to work at his clinic. Noticing my interest, he asked my mother to take my ambition seriously. Soon I started working and studying simultaneously,” said Vijay, who works as an attendant at the hospital of the college where he studies.

Vijay has become a source of inspiration for ambitious youngsters battling poverty. “I cite the example of this student and have decided to study further. I am doing my masters in Mathematics and will compete for civil services,” said Akhilesh, a young ragpicker.