One of the things that has always inspired me about India is the sense of possibility that exists. I still believe that dreams of a better future abound (and, indeed, my dream of finding my purpose and passion in life came true in India).
Unfortunately, this sense of possibility has been sadly somewhat overshadowed lately by certain awful incidents. But, as always in India, there is the other extreme. Someone succeeding against all odds.
Today, the news has been filled with such an extraordinary story. Prema Jayakumar, the daughter of an auto rickshaw driver, topped the extremely challenging nationwide chartered accountancy exam on her first attempt.
Currently, she lives with her family in a 280 square foot chawl in Mumbai. Her father moved to the city 25 years ago, from Tamil Nadu, in search of a better life. He’s been driving an auto rickshaw for 20 years, and with the money earned, managed to raise his three children.
What’s also notable is that Prema’s younger brother excelled at the accountancy exam too.
Their story is not only an inspiration but evidence that the resilience and determination that I admire in India still exists. And, it’s just so heartwarming to know that hard work has paid off to bring these people a better future. It can be achieved! Forget status in India, it’s people like these who really deserve respect and admiration. I’m an emotional type and it actually brings tears to my eyes.
(Enough of that soppy stuff though, I must say I also LOVE the beautiful outfit Prema is wearing)!
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Sharell
Thanks for telling us this inspiring story. I did spot a little irony, however.
I note that Prema excells in accounting which has turned her life around. You on the other hand had a life-changing experience when you LEFT your accountancy career!
I guess it shows that people have different dreams – and that these dreams can become a reality.
The irony didn’t go unnoticed by me either.
Great story, thanks for sharing!
Hard work, perseverance and resilience. three qualities that I sorely lack. But I am so happy her hard work paid off.
Sharell, two thumbs up for posting a positive story. We need these once in a while.
This story makes me so happy!
Lucky she was not oppressed by the liberals and become a Maoist and Good she did not depend on the govt… Hopefully, she would get to work for the big 5 and become a partner or start her own firm and make oodles of money for herself and all her loved ones. And hopefully she would use her knowledge to pay the least amount as taxes to the wasteful and corrupt Indian govt.
Hi Sharrel,
Education is definitely the way forward in India. Many children do not get to go to school, those who get grab it with both hands. Good grades lead to admission in coveted colleges and eventually good jobs. This has an effect on the social standing of the entire family.
I went through many articles on the internet and found that dedication or over dedication to academics is particularly an Asian phenomenon. There seem to be a debate in the western countries for a long time that Asian children are outperforming the children of other races due to some sort of racial intelligence. After research it was found that it was the hard work of the children and the involvement of their parents in academics which lead to astounding academic results.
A Yale Law Professor Amy Chua wrote a book “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” describing her own rather questionable parenting style with her two daughters, wherein she established the “so called” superiority of the Chinese style of parenting over the Western style. The book has since been topic of intense debate in America. Makes for interesting reading. I found it interesting and wanted to share it with you.
Are you not too big to get soppy and emotional ?!!!! Anyway You are a woman that makes you more emotional than a man…
Sexist nonsense.
Babasaheb Ambedkar, an untouchable(in those days), wrote India’s constitution
CA is one of the toughest exams in the world.People write it for years together.Takes atleast 5years to finish. Clearing itself is an ardous task.Topping it against all odds is a feather in the cap.Good luck to this girl.
Prema along with her family was felicitated at a functon of the CA Institute yesterday. The entire audience comprising of over 600 professionals spontaneously stood up to give a standing ovation to this incredible achievement. It was a truly inspiring and emotional moment. It is on such occassions we realize how human spirit can conquer all odds.
Wow congrats to her! I was reading another inspiring story and am not sure if this is posted here before, but check this out as well! :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMSYGLbIUxc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJzKbGu42D4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QQ9FZNNkFg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjlMwwYgnYs
I love inspiring stories like these from India. Persistence, hard work, and motivation pay off.
That was inspiring and as you said brings happy tears in the emotional eyes. Hats off to her. I got a house 5 times her house, but she got a smile and confidence which is 100 times me
.
The negative news in India or for that matter in the world is nothing new. All my childhood there has been a constant influx of them. Whether it was the bombs, riots, scams , now rapes, the list goes on. But for some reason when I stepped out of my house it is the same life, same people, smiles, cries, fireworks, deaths, in short ‘Daily life’ that goes on, as though it is oblivious of the media headlines. There was an automated (and often anarchical) survivability and happiness associated with the society. Yes the issues are important and must be addressed. However thats not what that should define us, or our perception of the country. I am currently out of India and it saddens me when people outside (and at times even the ‘NRIs’) look at the news and imagine a uncivilized unruly country.
Is it weird I wan to excel in my academic career now because of her?
No it is not weird, it is called inspiration and people who are inspired by even the small things which many ignore are successful. You seem to derive inspiration from positive things so you have taken the first step towards success. Good luck with your academics/ career.
Hi Sharell:
You are such a genuine person! You see bright spots in India, where so much is wrong, where so much needs to change. You have made this difficult country that challenges ordinary folks every day of their lives your home. Thank you for your kindness.
Amar
Awww, Amar, thank YOU for your kind words and making me smile today.
awww
Hi bhabhi, my first time here and I love ur blog. Really! Umm, tbh I have a small request for u. U see I am a 14yr old studying for IIT JEE at Kota in Bansal classes. Each day is like living through hell I can’t say much except if u read Eric Mu’s confessions of chinese graduate at danwei.com u will get the erxact idea.It is chinese but it exactly depicts Indian one too. Pls, do read it. As for my request, I want u to write an article about India’s hellish education system . I know, this post is to the point,selfish, written in simple awful English and Indian.but it’s kinda hard not to when your warden is glaring holes through ur back, firing canonballs like a retarded dragon and u r typing like a lunatic on the only available computer in main hall. I know bhabhi u may hve another obligation but pls bhabhi give it a try.*puppy dog eyes*
Hi Pompom, yes, I do have concerns about the education system. I’ll add it to my list of topics to write about. So sorry to hear that you’re not enjoying your school.
Hi Sharrel,
The education system was devised by the British to create bureaucrats and engineers out of Indians to serve them. It was not designed to achieve knowledge. Have you seen the movie “Three Idiots”. It is a wonderful satire on the Indian Education System. I guess when you are fortunate enough to go to school in India, any kind of education is good enough. Very few get this opportunity.
My niece has turned super serious in 11th and 12th. She is in 12th grade and about to appear for her Board Examinations. She is taking engineering coaching classes and finding it difficult to cope with her school studies. Her parents have become serious too. They only talk about the huge amount of money invested in the coaching classes and pray that their daughter gets through in one of the engineering entrance tests. Indian parents mould their lives around their children’s academic requirements in the the sincere hope that one day their children will get jobs and pull them out out of poverty like the parents of the young lady mentioned above. It sure gets hard on students but I guess with smart time management you can excel in academics and pursue other extra curricular activities as well.
Hi Sharell,
.
I’m a 22yr old guy from Mumbai.
I wanted to comment on this, as I too had appeared for my first attempt at CA final Nov.2012 exams in which Prema came out with ‘the dream result’ of every CA aspirant. The passing marks in the CA final course is 400 out of 800 and let me tell its undoubtedly an excruciating and a herculian task to score anywhere near 400.
Prema’s score is 607!
As for myself, I could not even touch 300 in spite of the fact that like many other students, I had better access to all the educational resources, facilities, coaching etc. as compared to CA Prema. What’s worse is that I belong to a family of CAs and so practically the least they would have expected out of me is to have passed.
Prema’s story is absolutely amazing. Ever since the results came out, every morning I wake up thinking “Its all possible”
Such a disclosure may look like a woeful confession but the fact remains that this story continues to be an intense source of inspiration for my next attempt and hopefully many other students. Hats off to Prema.
God bless.
I never understood, why Indian CA exams are so hard. They have CA and Cost accounting exams in the UK and the US and its not half as hard. When I was in business school, Accounting/Costing was easy for me… It is so logical. It was actually one of my fav subjects next to economics. If I had wanted to do either CA or cost accounting… I probably would have preferred Cost/Management accounting … I would have done well I am sure.
when I was in India, I had this fear of doing CA because all I could hear from everyone was, how hard it was to pass.
You correctly stated that the difficulty levels of CPA and CIMA are lower when they are compared to Indian CA [Got the pass percentage stats to prove it]. I don’t know much about the B-schools except that students come out with uncanny practical and theoretical knowledge, but thats just my opinion.Cost accounting and financial reporting papers at the final level are absolutely logical. The problem lies in the fact that the students are expected to know everything about the laws in the syllabus. Each legal provision (even the smallest and seemingly irrelevant ones) from millions of legal decisions, existing laws, reporting requirements etc. should be thoroughly read and retained, as anything (anything!) could be asked from them. Maybe this is what students perceive to be the most difficutl aspect. Sometimes it might seem impossible to retain the plethora of technicalities, theories and provisions because it’s not just about accounts and costing, acts and legal provisions make up for almost 60% of the entire syllabus. Its like you’re thrown in an ocean and asked to find a drop of water. And what makes it more difficult is the fact that the papers rarely ask repeated questions (more like 2% chances) and even if the answers are correct, theres always scope to write more to such questions. That requires even more reading and hence increased retention capabilities. So lots of things are involved, thorough reading, conceptual understanding, mugging up, hardcore practice of technical concepts and above all finding enough time on the examination day to retain every single detail ever read.
Prema could score over 600 and so its evident that anything is possible with perseverance and determination.
Regards.
Great story! very inspirational! Thanks for sharing
I tried to post in the forum but it doen’s work
I wanted some advice for first time meeting my future mother in law…
I’m an spanish girl and my boyfriend and I have a relationship since 3 years back. He just got gradued of the university last year and meet my family first time last month. Everything was good with them. We are young, 24 years old and we want to get married in two or three years. We are looking now to see if I meet his family India, they are sindhis. Thought they doesn’t know about me as his girldfriend, only as a friend. I don’t know what should I do or how to act when I come to meet my mother in law. I’m seriously afraid of she doesn’t allow the marriage, the only idea of this makes me sad. Thought his siblings had a love marrige, but it seems to be his mother would like more an indian girl. Although his maternal grandmother likes the idea that he marries a foreign girl. So I would like if you could advice me about this, if should I carry them a gift, wear indian clothes as salwar kameez… ? I have been learning hindi and how to cook some indian dishes (that even I like to do these things). Anything that can help me to please his mother and can clear her doubts about me. I will be staying at his house as a friend and meeting only his mother as his father passed away some years back.
Thanks of heart for all the help you can give me in this.
I had a friend with the same problem. He was marrying a German… from her experience, I can definitely say, atleast for the first meeting…wear something close to Indian clothes..you don’t have to be decked up in a saree and jewellery from head to toe..a simple kurta (a long tunic) would go a long way..and maybe a stole (who knows how conservative they are)..and a smattering of hindi also goes a long way..
I myself, though an Indian, had to dress in somewhat Indian clothes when I first met my in-laws.. I was careful not to go overboard, lest they think that is who I was.. I conveniently switched back to jeans and tees from the next meeting.. your boyfriend should be able to help you..
And I must add.. Le deseo todo lo mejor.
Sorry, if my spanish is a little off… its been 10 years since I spoke any..
Hi Zara. You might want to head over to the main forums if you want a reply. I cannot help you, but if other can, please do help Zara.
Speaking of Les Mis type subject, but to anyone who’s seen the flick, does anyone else think Sharell looks a bit like Anne Hathaway? Who else is for hearing her sing “I Dreamed a Dream”? lol:)
i read this story in a newspaper too… well you know what whenever i feel depressed, frustated, these kinds of stories always motivates me to achieve . my goals. indeed its a truth in india, anything is possible… thats why I’m proud and love to be an indian, because this country always surprises everyone not just every single day but every single minute there is something new. great post sharell.
loved it …. 5/5
hi,
Thanks for telling us this inspiring story. I love inspiring stories like these from India. Persistence, hard work, and motivation pay off.
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