The farmers of Maharashtra have seen very harsh times in the last decade. Some even chose to end their lives after facing crop loss and then getting entrapped in a debt circle. Today, researchers are doing case studies on the spate of farmers’ suicides in the state, especially in the Vidarbha region.
Indian Masterminds brings to you a story from a farming belt of Maharashtra, Nanded district, where agriculture is the mainstay of the people. In this district, a farmer’s son struggled against losses and financial crises to successfully clear UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2019. A story of success against all odds of Madhav Gitte, who is IAS Probationary Officer in Dharwad district of Karnataka at present.
SUCCESS AMIDST HARDSHIP
There was a time when IAS Madhav Gitte had to leave his studies midway to start working in the fields. The family even had to mortgage their house to raise money to survive. Madhav’s mother had passed away when he was a child.A young Madhav, along with his father and siblings, faced all these challenges with stoic resignation and did not give up on hope. Despite the hardships, Madhav did not stop dreaming of a good career. It is said that the universe conspires to fulfill your dream if you focus on it intensely. And this turned out to be true in Madhav’s case as he was able to clear UPSC CSE 2019 examination with AIR 210.
“My advice to the people preparing for UPSC is that no reason or circumstance can stand in the way of your success. If you are determined, then it is certain that one day you will get the success you need,” he says.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Madhav’s father has four acres of farmland in Nanded district of Maharashtra. Besides his son Madhav, he has three daughters and two more sons. Growing up, a young Madhav used to engage in cultivation work in the family farm. However, a time came when earnings from farming were no longer enough to support the family.So apart from working in the fields, Madhav also started working as a laborer in the fields of other farmers. In this way, he used to earn Rs 40 to 60 a day. When he was in the 10th standard, his mother passed away after a battle with cancer.
Madhav says, “It was a very difficult time for the family, emotionally and financially.The whole family was almost broke. I didn’t even have money to pay school fees. Every day I used to cycle to and from school 11 km away and then work in the fields. There came a time when the family had to mortgage everything, from the house to the farm.”
DIFFICULT TIMES
Madhav somehow passed the 12th grade, but due to low marks, he could not get admission in good colleges. He applied in a Government Polytechnic College, but again, was denied admission because of low marks.With no door opening for him in the education sector, Madhav once again returned to the agriculture sector to start working in the fields. But, here also, he had to face big disappointment. Luck did not favour him as the region had to face a severe drought that year which gave rise to a famine-like situation. Because of such a dire situation, he could not get good wages from his farmer-employer. So, he went to Pune and started working as a helper in a company where he received a salary of Rs 2400.But after working for only 2 months here, he had to leave the job because of ill health.
Around this time, he heard of a diploma course in a nearby college, where the fees were slightly lesser than usual. Madhav’s family somehow collected the amount needed for the fees by borrowing money from the villagers. He took admission and passed the diploma course with very good marks, becoming the topper with 87 per cent marks.
After this academic feat, Madhav’s confidence and desire to study increased.He took admission in an engineering college in Pune. This time, the family had to mortgage their property to pay the fees. They also took loan on interest. In 2014, after completing engineering, Madhav took up a job and paid off the loan. After two years in service, Madhav one day came across the interview of a UPSC topper in media. After that, he had only one steadfast dream – to become an IAS officer.
UPSC PREPARATION
To work on his dream, Madhav gathered information about the UPSC examination for about two months and would often sit in the library from 5 to 6 in the morning, then work in the office from 10 to 5 in the evening, and then return to the library to study till 10 in the night. After a while, he left the job to concentrate only on his studies and went to Delhi for better preparation. This time, his friends came to his support and helped him financially for his UPSC preparation. Madhav says today, that in his life, his friends are no less than God.
In 2017, Madhav could not clear the prelims.In 2018, he cleared the exam with 567th rank and got selected to Indian Audit and Accounts Service. In 2019, he took the exam again and scored AIR 210 which landed him his dream career in IAS.
Madhav says, “If you are determined to crack UPSC, then stop fearing trouble. Try to move ahead with hard work and right strategy. The support of family and friends is the most important thing for you in this journey.”
After years of hard work and financial constraints, Madhav finally achieved the success he had always hoped for. This is why it is so important to never give up on hope.
