At Light of Life Trust, we have always been committed to the betterment of the community, so, needless to say, when we see our students selflessly paying it forward, it certainly fills our hearts with immense pride. In spite of dark days, when their urge to serve society surpasses the urge to simply earn money, we know that all our efforts, and yours, are absolutely worth it!
Two of our students, Bhupendra Janga More and Chandrakant Madhukar Pernekar have successfully landed government jobs and now walk with their heads held high. Both of them shared a lot in common – an impoverished household, a family to support, unfulfilled dreams, but on the brighter side, their perseverance to succeed and…Project Anando.
Hailing from Alibaug, Bhupendra was born to uneducated parents and was the third among five children. Although filled with a zest to learn and an enthusiasm to meet new people, affording a good education was hard and staying back at home on school-days to help his family earn a few extra bucks wasn’t making it any easier. It was then that Bhupendra’s local school Principal brought his case to our notice and he enrolled in Project Anando. Partly, with our guidance but moreover with his self-belief and drive, Bhupendra actively participated in extra-curricular activities and workshops and even went on to excel at the SSC and HSC exams.
Chandrakant on the other hand, was born to parents, who in spite of dealing with the burden of their loan, never let their poverty affect the children’s future. Chandrakant worked hard and was the star pupil at school, but when Maharashtra was hit by the drought, all his dreams came crashing down, overnight! His father was jobless, and it was now up to Chandrakant to help repay the family debts. Shortly after, his sister came across Project Anando and Chandrakant picked up the broken pieces, and began anew. He was refuelled with a new-found passion and passed exam after exam, only to go on and complete his B. Com, after which he appeared for the Police Recruitment Exam scoring a whopping 92.5%!
Today, Bhupendra is a Gatekeeper at the Maharashtra State Electricity Board and every penny earned, he sends to his family. He achieved what his father couldn’t – a stable job.
Chandrakant is now a Police Constable and has managed to earn the well-deserved respect of his neighbours, who once called him Chandru, a nickname he despised.
While they both prepare for future competitive exams, the fact that they live for a higher purpose of serving the state and working towards the betterment of the people, is heart-warming. We are glad that together, with you, we could tide them over rough waters and help them secure their future. Project Anando is simply a small part of their long journey that has just begun!
