There might be several points in your life when you want to give up – give up on that dream, that ambition, that passion of yours because of greater responsibilities. And some people do give up and settle for less. However, the ones who dare to move over to the other side have brighter possibilities and opportunities waiting for them.
The story of Ranjith Ramachandran is an example. According to Times Now, the 28-year-old guy from Kerala’s Kasaragod district was born to a poor family. They lived in a 400 sq feet small dilapidated hut which had a leaky roof, a kitchen and 2 rooms for a family of 5 people. His father worked as a tailor and his mother was a labourer.
Sharing a picture of his house on social media, he wrote, “An IIM Assistant Professor was born in this house.”
After he passed out from school, Ramachandran wanted to provide for his family. Hence, alongside studying Economics in college, he worked as a night guard at a BSNL telephone exchange office. He attended his classes in the morning, went home to eat after college, and went to work where he spent the entire night.
He earned Rs 4,000 at the time.
“For five years, during my degree and postgraduate days, I lived at the telephone exchange,” he said.
According to The Indian Express, he landed an opportunity to pursue his PhD at IIT Madras after his post-graduation from Central University, Kasaragod.
“When I landed in IIT, I could not even speak English. I had never moved out of Kasaragod. In fact, at one time, I wanted to quit the PhD programme,” he said.
However, with the constant support and encouragement from two professors at the institute – Dr Subash Sasidhaaran and Dr Vaidehi Sasidhaaran – he fought against all odds and completed his PhD. He was awarded his degree last year.
Currently, Ramachandran is working as an Assistant Professor at Christ University, Bengaluru. But in 3 months, he is to join IIM Ranchi as the same!
What an incredible story of hard work and persistence! All of us have something to learn from Ramachandran’s journey.