Ram Chander Naik: When giving up is not an option

A man who fought all odds to achieve what he dreamt of can never be unsuccessful! 

The early life of Ram Chander Naik

After studying in his village until the third standard in a Telugu medium school, where he had to walk 3 kilometers every day, Ram Chander Naik dealt with the most significant change in his life. He lived in thandas where they have a separate language, and learning Telugu was his first challenge. 

He came to Hyderabad to pursue his studies. He was living away from his family for the first time, but Ram Chander Naik also encountered a new language that he had to learn to be successful – English! When his teacher asked to read from the science book, he wondered what subject was being referred to and got an idea only after his friend pulled out the book from his bag. The shift in language was a big problem in itself to deal with, but Ramachander had more troubles coming his way.

While he was struggling his way through this, Ram Chander Naik came face-to-face with the hardships of life at a hostel. He tried his best to cope with a place that served the least nutritious or tasty food only twice a day. When he could no longer take it, he wrote a letter to his father about the pathetic state of affairs at the hostel, comparing it with dry grass. No sooner did the letter reach his father, he came right away. 

Moved by his son’s miserable condition, Ramchander’s father decided to move in with his older brother, who works in the same city in a private job. Just when he thought that his problems came to an end, Ram Chander Naik learned that his brother was transferred to Visakhapatnam. Once again, he had nowhere to go, and he didn’t want to go back to the hostel. Luckily, Ram Chander Naik found a place in his sister’s house who lived in the same city and her husband. 

Things were going on in this way when Ramchander reached 7th grade. It was a time when students were required to clear a board exam in both seventh and tenth standards. Interestingly, the school principal decided that students of these two standards should be called in the evening for extra classes so that their performance in the final exam is not compromised. 

The reality of the night school, however, was very different from what was exciting. At night school, there was minimal studying. What the students did there was work as a domestic help at the principal’s house. They were not allowed to leave until the principal’s sons returned from their work as police constables at 11 p.m. 

To stop this, the principal insisted that a student go and fetch him tea early at 4:30 a.m, later to water the ongoing building construction. This way, Ram Chander dragged through most of the days without sleep at all. 

Meanwhile, he had put in an application in a school with a hostel to live and study. But things changed again! Ramchander discovered through his friends about a school that prepared students for grade 10 directly for free. Although it is challenging, he didn’t want to let go of this opportunity. So, he let go of the seat in the school with the hostel where he’d already paid fees and started attending classes for the 10th board exam.

The story of this school was a mystery by itself. It had no proper building or furniture, and the principal was the only man who seemed to have some education and, most importantly, had no recognition whatsoever. The classes lacked the quality one would expect for students appearing for 10th boards, and all they would get was mock test papers to prepare. Amid this mess, the principal was absconding after collecting money from students for the exam. With time, some teachers left after getting better opportunities elsewhere, leaving students with poorer quality of knowledge. 

Finally, after the exam, only 5-6 students among the 26 in-class passed the exam. He had three backlogs – English, Mathematics, and Science. His failure prevented his family from providing even the minimum financial support that they were giving.

Ramchander continued doing odd jobs to survive, and he got in touch with the principal of a school, where he could study and work as an office boy. This way, he earned his tuition fee. In the places he worked, people spoke discouragingly about studying further. He did not like this as Ram Chander was consistently securing one of the top five ranks in his class. Despite the discouraging atmosphere, Ram Chander Naik continued to work there because he needed the money. 

He would attend tuition early in the morning and work for the rest of the day. When he appeared for the board exam the second time, he again had a backlog. This time it was only in mathematics where he lost by one mark. Ram Chander Naik was the only one who applied for supplementary among all the 10th failure students from his class. It was a miracle when he appeared for the exam the third time. He secured 75 marks in the subject, which motivated him to take up MPC stream in his intermediate. 

He attended college during the day, attended typewriting courses and ITI courses in the evenings, and worked at telephone booths at night. While pursuing this, he also signed up for a vocational course that would help him upskill himself. He aimed to get into a government job like his brother. 

Ram Chander Naik got admission into PGCS Saifabad college based on his intermediate marks. It is a reputed college, and people feel as an achievement getting a seat in it. While the students complained about the food in the hostel, Ram Chander Naik appreciated the quality. It was far better than what he had experienced earlier. Also, the hostel, this time, was better organized. Ramachander had also acquired the skills of a computer operator. 

As fate would have it, Ramchander’s family decided to get him married after his degree completion. After the wedding, it became even more essential to find a job to run his family. He secured a job as a computer operator at the DGP’s office, but his heart went after the government job. Ram Chander Naik continued to appear for the exam whenever he got a chance. He lost a couple of jobs in the name of betrayal and misguided information. 

There was a widespread belief among the people around him that two people of the same family cannot get into government jobs. Since his brother was already in a government job, people told Ram Chander Naik that he had no chance of getting in. 

However, Ram Chander Naik fought all odds and emerged victoriously. He currently works for the Central government in the same organization where his brother works. 

Ram Chander’s experiences teach that if you don’t let situations break you down, there’s nothing you can’t achieve. Cheers to his endless positive spirit!

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