Pratiksha Tondwalkar's inspiring journey; from sweeper to AGM in SBI

Tragedy struck Tondwalkar when she was just 20 as her husband died in a road accident in 1984, leaving her to take care of her two children all alone.

Mumbai: From working as a sweeper at the State Bank of India to becoming Assistant General Manager of SBI, Pratiksha Tondwalkar’s journey is truly an inspiration to all. Born in Pune, Tondwalkar comes from a very humble background. Due to her poor background, she could not continue her studies and was married off at the age of 16.

Tondwalkar along with her husband, Sadashiv Kadu, later settled in Mumbai, while Kadu worked as a bookbinder at SBI’s Mumbai branch. After the birth of their first son, the couple decided to set out on a trip to their village. However, tragedy struck Tondwalkar when she was just 20 as her husband died in a road accident in 1984, leaving her to take care of her two children all alone.

However, Tondwalkar did not lose her heart and started working at the SBI as a sweeper. Tondwalkar, who had dropped out in standard 7, continued her studies and passed the 10th examination, and later joined SNDT College in Mumbai to complete her graduation. After graduating in commerce, she first joined the bank as a clerk.

However, she continued her studies for the internal examination even while working as a clerk. After passing the internal examination, she was first selected as a trainee officer and later as Assistant General Manager of the bank.