New Delhi: 17-years-old Parmeshwar, a resident of Tigri slum in Delhi has served an example of courage amid adversity.
Parmeshwar lives in a small house with eight other family members with not enough income to buy things other than the basic necessities of life.
He had an old father who was ill and brothers who did not have stable jobs and had a family to feed.
Education was a far-fetched dream for him. Yet, the young teenager managed to score 91.7 per cent in his Class 12 CBSE board exams.
Not ready to accept his fate, Parmeshwar decided to get an education for himself.
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He took up the job of washing cars at a garage in Khanpur when he was in Class 10 for which he was paid Rs 3k a month.
He walked about half-an-hour to reach his workplace during harsh Delhi winters six days a week for three years.
Parmeshwar used this hard-earned money for buying his uniform and books.
He recalls his days of struggle and says that his body became numb during the winters but he had no other option but to go to work.
He says he was even called selfish and greedy for working so hard for a few hundred rupees.
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Yet, it did not deter Parmeshwar from his goal. He was determined about earning money for supporting his education. Besides, he did not want to put the extra load of his education on his already struggling family.
But, Parmeshwar's hardships did not seem to end there.
Earlier in March this year, his father underwent surgery and he had to look after him at the hospital.
With his exams heading closer, Parmeshwar began preparing for them at the hospital itself.
During his later days, he received help from an NGO called Asha Society. The NGO provided him with sample papers of board exams and later helped him apply for an English Honours course at Delhi University.
Parmeshwar dreams of becoming a teacher in the future.
