Life was never a bed of roses for Sardar Sukhbeer Singh and Harjeet Kaur. Married off at an early age, both of them had to bid adieu to their dreams of studying and succeeding at life and make way for responsibilities of a married life. Singh took up a scantily paying field job and Kaur put her skill of tailoring and stitching to use. Everything from that point onwards has multiplied for them – the size of the family, the age of ailing parents, obligations, burdens. Everything but their luck.
Simranjeet as a daughter
Simranjeet Kaur is the third child of Singh and Kaur. The bright and talented Simranjeet lives in a family of eight – parents, three siblings and grandparents. Simranjeet loves studies as much as she loves sports, and the girl excels at both. But there is nothing in this whole wide world that she loves more than her family – especially her parents – her ‘paapa’ and ‘mumma’ as she lovingly calls them. Ask her about her parents and her face lights up. She can go on talking about them with a smile on her face.
Why? Why is a young girl of merely 15 years of age so attached to her parents in a time where children are more inclined towards leaving them and having an independent life? The answer is tolerance and personal experience. Simranjeet has seen the life of her parents up and close, she has seen them struggle throughout their lives for the sole purpose of keeping their family happy. And most of all, she has been at the receiving end of the misfortunes of the family and has seen her parents pull her out of it all.
Simranjeet as a student
In a house where girl child education was not supported by the elderly, Simranjeet was successful at both her schools and is now pursuing a Diploma in Electronics Engineering at PDM College, the best college her parents could get her admitted in to despite the financial hurdles. And she gives complete credit for it to her parents, without their continuous support, not just financial but also emotional, she wouldn’t have been the person she is today.
Simranjeet completed her primary level studies from a private school before she shifted to a government school in 6th standard due to financial constraints. Ask a kid about such an experience and most of them would frown on the sudden and huge change they had to undergo. But not Simranjeet. She is thankful to her parents for slogging and saving enough money to send her to a private school for a few years at least because it helped in making her basics stronger. Because of her parents’ unceasing support, Simranjeet was able to excel not just at studies but also at various extracurricular activities. From sports to science exhibitions to drama, she represented her school at various levels and won accolades. But the real award for her has always been making her parents burst with pride because of her achievements.
Simranjeet as a dreamer
You will see a lot of people in life who take things for granted – the food they are eating, the clothes they are wearing, the people in their life, the roof over their head. Simranjeet is different. Ever since she understood the value of life, her aim has become more of giving than taking. She gave up her dream of becoming a doctor and took up Electronics Engineering in PDM Colleges, which was the best college her parents could get her admitted in to.
While she had her proper focus on the future plans, Simranjeet was also constantly struggling to find ways to gradually help unburden her parents.
Light at the end of the tunnel
Just when Simranjeet was looking for scholarships, she got an opportunity to attend Buddy4Study camp on behlf of Relaxo Foundation, on scholarship organised at PDM College in Bahadurgarh, Haryana. Simranjeet along with her fellow college mates learnt about a wide gamut of available scholarships that would help them pursue their goals with ease. Also, Simranjeet got application assistance in filling her scholarship form. With the help of the scholarship matching-making technology, her profile was found eligible for multiple scholarships.
After a few weeks, Simranjeet received a call from Relaxo Foundation. The news she heard was the best she had heard in a very long time. She had won the scholarship worth INR 20,000 which is more than the monthly income of her entire family. Simranjeet was elated beyond words to finally help take off some burden from her parents’ shoulders. In her own words, “I definitely want to thank the scholarship providers but most importantly I want to thank Relaxo Foundation because if they would not have come to my college and made me aware about so many available scholarships, I would have never even applied for a scholarship. They not just made me aware of the scholarship but also supported me throughout the application process and helped me submit all the required documents.”
In the end, Simranjeet has just one message for students her age – Don’t take your parents’ sacrifices for granted. Even if they are somehow paying your fees right now, try to find ways to lessen their burden. Never get comfortable until you do. For all the sacrifices they have made for you, can’t you fill a simple form to help unburden them?
