Don't Stop...! ♥️🌾

From a young age, I wanted to learn a lot and become very educated, just like Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. After finishing high school, I planned to prepare for the Civil Services Exam (UPSC) and decided to move to Pune. The idea was to study at a good college in Pune while also attending classes to prepare for UPSC.

Choosing to study for a degree while preparing for UPSC was the best decision I made...!

I went to Pune, checked out colleges and classes, and got admitted to the 'Foundation Course' at Chanakya Mandal classes. But due to some issues, I had to leave Pune. Something happened there that upset me a lot, and I didn't want to stay in Pune anymore. It was my first time there, and without knowing anyone, I didn’t know what to do next. So, I spent all the money I had on buying books at 'ABC' Chowk and returned home.

Back at home, I decided to study on my own. I wanted to prove that you can study well even in a village. I believe that if you have the willpower and determination, you can study anywhere. I knew the environment in the village wouldn't be the same as in Pune, but I focused on the belief that "If you work hard and are determined, you can achieve anything, anywhere." I decided to turn an old, unused room next to my house into my study space. After cleaning and fixing it up a bit, I started studying there. This room became my small world, with my favourite books and pictures of our great leaders on the walls.

This room was my first 'Study Bunker'...!✨

I needed a name for this room. While thinking about it, I remembered reading about the word 'bunker' during a study of World War II. Just as a bunker protects soldiers during a war, this room would protect me from the negative environment and distractions around me. So, I named it 'Study Bunker.'

Since I stayed in the village, I looked for good colleges nearby for my degree. But I didn’t find any that I liked, and my main focus was on UPSC, so I decided to pursue my degree through the 'Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University.' I enrolled in the first year of my B.A. and started studying both for my degree and UPSC.

I ordered NCERT books online and bought a 3-year Pendrive course from Study IQ, diving deep into my studies.

From August 2017 to September 2019, I studied a lot and read many books. I never stopped reading beyond my syllabus. During this time, I learned a lot from my studies and reading. Even though I stayed at home, it felt like I was travelling the world through books. I dived deep into the ocean of history. But while focusing on my studies, I didn’t take care of my health, and it slowly got worse. My health issues led to a high price to pay, and I fell into a deep depression.

I've written more about this in the first part, do read it...✨

In November 2021, thanks to my love for books and my efforts to promote reading during the lockdown, Sharad Tandale Sir announced that I would receive the 'Swapneel Kolte Literature Award,' which marked the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I got the encouragement and support I needed the most at that time. It gave me the strength to keep fighting and moving forward, no matter what.

In February 2022, I read the book 'Bhura,' which gave me even more courage and inspiration. It taught me to dream big and work towards those dreams. I decided not to stop until I achieved a high level of education and began studying with renewed energy. On 1st March 2022, I visited Chaityabhoomi, paid my respects to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, and started a new journey.

In 2022, I resumed my UPSC preparation while also seriously considering further education. Thanks to my beloved books, I gained a close friend, Harshal Chavhan, who became a significant part of my life during this time. He not only supported me in many ways but also reignited the fire for higher education in me. He guided me, assured me with "I'm here with you," and always stood by my side. His support greatly increased my motivation to pursue higher education. With his encouragement, I appeared for the CUET national-level exam for a Master's degree for the first time in September 2022. I scored well but couldn’t secure admission that year due to some family and document-related issues.

On 2nd October 2022, I restarted 'We Read.' In July, we visited Mahatma Phule Wada in Pune, paid respects to Jotiba and Savitribai Phule, and planned the future course of 'We Read.' In October, 'We Read' was relaunched and grew rapidly day by day. I became completely absorbed in it. Reading, studying, managing the shop, and handling 'We Read' became my life. I would post interesting content on the group, take book orders, reply to readers, talk to them on calls, meet those who visited my Study Bunker, travel as much as I could, conduct various reading-related sessions, read books, and pack and send out books. Alongside this, I would talk to countless people in the 'Talk To Your Humanist Friend' sessions on Saturdays and Sundays.

I wanted to study seriously, but I couldn’t manage it well. I was reading regularly but couldn't dedicate much time to serious study. I was completely engrossed in 'We Read.' Unexpectedly, in December, I appeared on 'BBC Marathi,' which brought even more attention to me and increased the response to 'We Read' significantly.

2022 ended, and 2023 began. This year, I decided to seriously prepare for CSE again and started studying. I balanced studying with managing 'We Read' and the shop as best as I could. In June, I appeared for CUET again, but this time, I narrowly missed qualifying for the course and college I wanted. But I wasn’t one to give up. I thought, "If not this year, then next year." I had decided to study at a good college, and I was determined to get into a good college and receive a quality education for two years. I decided to pursue a Master's in a significant subject and later implement what I learned in 'We Read.'

I decided to do as much good work as possible in the field of reading, to build a reading movement, and to inspire as many people as possible to develop a love for reading. My experiences with 'We Read,' combined with education, would help me do something unique in the future.✨

In 2024, I decided to get into a good college and pursue a Master's in a good subject. This year, I planned to take entrance exams for various colleges and started preparing under Harshal's guidance. Since Harshal had done his Master's in Public Policy from TISS, I had heard a lot about it. I understood the importance, need, and future of Public Policy well. I had a good idea of how important this subject was.

In December 2023, we were having a casual talk when the topic of 'Kautilya School of Public Policy' came up. At that time, Sudhir Dada had just been selected for it, and Prashant Rathod Dada had already completed his Master's from there. Harshal quickly talked to both of them and told me to think about it. I looked into the whole process and started preparing. Then, I decided to do my Master's from there. As I mentioned before, I already knew the importance of Public Policy.

I applied. ✨

Harshal and I prepared everything together. We wrote the right answers to the questions. Pravin Nikam Dada and Vishal Thakre Dada agreed to give me a Letter of Recommendation (LOR), and I submitted the form.

After a few days, my application was selected, and I was given an interview date of February 12th. On February 12th, I had my online interview. It was the first interview of my life. It was also the first time I spoke so much English, and that too in front of Syed Akbaruddin Sir and other prominent people. I consider this my first achievement. The interview went well. I answered all the questions and honestly shared everything truthfully. I expressed why I wanted to study. Throughout, I maintained my confidence, smile, and honesty.

Now, I wasn't sure if I would get selected or not. It felt like a 50/50 chance. If it happened, great; if not, I would move on... But I had already decided not to give up, no matter what.

On February 19th, I went to Pune and met Sharad Pawar Sir. This was an unexpected, important, and very happy moment in my life. On February 22nd, the results came out, and Harshal gave me the good news that I was selected. This marked the beginning of a new journey.

For a student like me, who completed a B.A. from an open university, being selected into such a prestigious college is a huge achievement. This is the first step towards fulfilling the dream I had. 🌾♥️