Ragpicker's daughter beats all odds, makes it to Indian Navy

PUNE: A Maharashtra safai worker’s 20-year-old daughter has beaten 400-odd Agniveer aspirants to a berth in the Indian Navy as a cadet, using adversity and her mother’s “never-say-die attitude” as the wind in her sails to fulfil a long-cherished dream. Shweta Pandit, whose mother Jyoti is part of a cooperative of self-employed safai workers called SWaCH in Pune’s Wanowrie, has been deputed to INS Chilka in Odisha for training before she officially wears the Navy whites as a commissioned cadet.

Given her background, Shweta’s journey to success has been all about weathering the storm. At one point, this student of Sadhana Girls School in Hadapsar couldn’t afford private tuition to prepare for the entrance exam. Undeterred, she turned to online tutorials. With the challenging fitness test looming, Shweta, an NCC cadet, sought her brother’s help. “Both would be up at 4.30am and go for a run and other exercises,” Jyoti recalled.

Shweta aced the written assessment and fitness test, only to run into a financial hurdle. She didn’t have the money to buy even stationery before joining her training unit in Odisha. Worse, her waitlisted train ticket got cancelled.

“SWaCH stepped in to help with the required items while her uncle bought her an air ticket. Shweta reached her training base two days ago,” her mother said.

Jyoti has been with SWaCH since 2013, going to Wanowrie for door-to-door waste collection every day. The cooperative’s members are just as proud of Shweta as her mother is.

“My daughter always wanted to serve her country. She would study for up to 10 hours a day alongside training for the Navy grind. She fills me with pride,” Jyoti said. Shweta credits her mother with giving her the courage “to dream big”.

Despite her initial difficulties transitioning from Marathi to an English-medium education, Shweta cleared her Class 12 board exam with 78%. Getting an opportunity to become an Agniveer is just the beginning of the next phase of her life in the seas.

Shweta will be training on INS Chilka for six months. After a 14-day break, she will start the next six-month phase of training. Depending on her skill sets, she would get a Navy posting.

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