I ended up with 20 backlogs in college, but the reason was not that I did not want to study. I enjoyed studying, but conditions at home were not favourable, and I could not find enough time and resources. My father is an auto driver and the sole breadwinner for the family. From my childhood, I have seen him save every rupee for his family. When I was in college, my mother fell ill.

The responsibility of taking care of her, my father and my elder brother fell onto my shoulders. My brother is specially-abled; therefore, I had to be the pillar of for all of them. We had little savings that could not suffice for my mother’s medical expenses. We sold off her jewellery and used the money that came for her treatment. We were never really well off financially, but these struggles were very harsh. All my life, we have just had enough money for the four of us.

I wanted to help my father and uplift the family financially. My mark sheets were utterly disappointing to me in those circumstances. But, I never regret compromising on my studies for my family. After all, they were my priority. I do not blame anyone for what we went through; those circumstances were our destiny. But as they say, every dark cloud has a silver lining; I was waiting to see mine. Finally, I decided to take coaching and work towards upskilling myself so that I can get a job.

Until a month ago, I was jobless and was contemplating life. It was only last week that I got a job as a Web Developer. Sometimes, it may look like we are sacrificing a few things for a family. However, if you look at the right things, you will only get more happiness. In life, we need to get our priorities right. In my case, education and family both were on top for me. But, I had to choose, and I knew nothing can ever compensate for my family. 

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