Starting as a sweeper at the State Bank of India to becoming one of the bank’s top official, Pratiksha Tondwalkar’s journey is truly an inspiration to all. Born in Pune, Tondwalkar came from a very humble background. Due to the fact that she belonged to a poor family, she could not continue her studies and was married off at the age of 16. Along with her husband, Sadashiv Kadu, she came and settled in Mumbai. Kadu worked as a book binder at SBI’s Mumbai branch. After the birth of their first son, the couple decided to seek the blessings of the almighty and set out on a trip to their village.
The trip turned out to be a turning point in Tondwalkar’s life. On the trip, Kadu met with an accident and lost his life. Widowed at the age of 20, Tondwalkar was left alone to take care of her son. To support the family, Tondwalkar picked up several odd jobs. Eventually, she landed a job as a sweeper at the same bank her husband used to work.
“At that time, I had to visit the SBI branch to collect my remaining dues from my husband. I knew I had to take up a job but I was not qualified. So, I asked the bank to help with a job so that I could survive,” Tondwalkar told Money Control. She used to work at the bank, cleaning and sweeping, for two hours in the morning, and then used to handle other menial jobs to sustain.
Despite facing such hardships, Tondwalkar’s determination did not deter her. “I knew I was not meant for this. I saw people working at the office and I knew I wanted to be one of them,” she said. Tondwalkar started enquiring about ways to complete her education. She began asking about how she could complete her high school education.
With the support of people at the bank, and some of her relatives who provided her with the books required, she completed her class 10 with a score of 60 percent. But getting a job at the bank needed a minimum qualification of class 12. She joined a night college in Vikhroli and completed her class 12. She even went on to graduate in psychology in 1995.
The path was paved and Tondwalkar walked on it like a winner. She became a clerk at the bank. Tondwalkar decided to marry again to Pramod Tondwalkar, a messenger at the bank. Pramod was very supportive and contributed to Tondwalkar’s mission to make a good life for herself.
In 2004, Tondwalkar was promoted to trainee officer and gradually, she climbed up the ladder to become an assistant general manager at the same bank she used to sweep the floor of. She retires in two years but does not want to stop yet. Tondwalkar, last year, did a course in naturopathy and wants to serve the people with the knowledge she gained during the course.
Read all the Latest News and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment