All set to graduate from the University of Oxford with a Master's degree in Comparative Social Politics, an Indian-origin student has penned down a note about her inspiration - her grandfather - on LinkedIn, which is now being widely shared. In the heart-warming note, Juhi Kore has narrated the struggles that her grandfather faced in attaining education and how his dream has now become her reality.
Juhi shared that her grandfather who belonged to a lower-caste family in Maharashtra, and had to fight for his right to study. “In 1947, the year India was declared a free and independent country, not every citizen was allowed to live a free and independent life. One of those individuals was a young school-aged boy who belonged to a family of the lowest caste, in a rural village in Maharashtra."
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"Despite being a school-aged boy, his family did not want him to attend school for two primary reasons: as the eldest of 4, he needed to work on a farm so his family could earn enough food; and his parents were afraid of how he might be treated by the students and teachers alike,” she wrote.
Calling him the “determined young boy”, the Oxford graduate wrote, “He made a deal with his parents to work on the farm from 3 AM, before anyone else was awake, and to go to school for the second half of the morning. However, unfortunately for him, his parents’ second fear came true: after a 1.5-hour walk to school, without any decent footwear, he wasn’t even allowed to sit inside the classroom.”
{{/usCountry}}Calling him the “determined young boy”, the Oxford graduate wrote, “He made a deal with his parents to work on the farm from 3 AM, before anyone else was awake, and to go to school for the second half of the morning. However, unfortunately for him, his parents’ second fear came true: after a 1.5-hour walk to school, without any decent footwear, he wasn’t even allowed to sit inside the classroom.”
{{/usCountry}}“Despite all the bullying from his upper caste peers, discrimination from his upper caste teachers, and not being allowed to sit inside the classroom, his determination and resolve led to him not simply passing his exams, but outranking all his classmates,” she further added.
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Kore further narrated that her grandfather - despite many a challenges - “went on learn English, move to the city of dreams (Bombay), get his Bachelor’s in Law (while working full-time as a cleaner in a government building) and many years later, attained his Master’s aged 60, after retiring as a high-level government official (in that same building).” She shared she was “proud” of her grandfather for “instilling the importance of education” in her.
With this note, she announced that she has graduated with a Master's from the University of Oxford.
Unfortunately, Juhi lost her grandfather over a year ago. “I know he was watching over me fondly,” she wrote. Kore's post is being widely circulated on social media with users calling the story “inspiring”, and her grandfather a “hero”.