It is often said that there are more sorrows than happiness in life, and if someone thinks deeply about and becomes upset, he will only time to worry. We should ignore the bitter truths of life and always keep searching for the refreshing moments of happiness.
This philosophy became quite apparent with the life story of Pooja Das (a scheduled caste) , a scheduled caste girl from the vicinity for whom the life was always a challenge. She lost both her parents at a very young age, and was left orphan with 3 other siblings in the family. Pooja was good at studies and wanted to make big in her career. All her hopes were shattered with the passing away of her father and soon thereafter, her mother too left them for the heavenly abode. The pressure of managing the family was a bit too heavy on her elder brother, who could somehow get one of the sisters married off. The situations forced Pooja to discontinue her studies after Standard X and sit at home. It was at this point in life that she decided to support her brother in running the house. However, there were not many opportunities and on top of that, ensuring security of a girl was of paramount importance. Moreover, she was also not adept in any skill or could undergo any vocational training, for want of money.
It was during such an imbroglio that Tata Sponge volunteers approached her to undergo a 3 months’ training program on behalf of Shahi Export Pvt Ltd (SEPL), assuring her of a career which could assuage her from her current predicament and will also provide a platform to her to resume her studies.
As per the model, girls with a qualification of Std.X are shortlisted by the representatives of SEPL, after making the interested girls go through few rounds of screening. This is then followed by a 3 months training at SEPL’s centres at Bhubaneswar and Sundergarh in Odisha and upon successful completion, the girls are offered employment at their Centres.
in Bangalore and Bhubaneswar. Besides, company provides joint hostel accommodation to these girls, post their placement, with day canteen facilities and other benefits as well. However, there is no such compulsion that the girls must join them and rather, they are free to start of their own too. The starting salary is anything between Rs.8,000-10,000 and can go further high, depending upon the candidate’s performance and potential. Depending upon the prospects of the candidate, she can even expect faster promotion, which was the case with Pooja, who is currently a Lead now, for her batch at Bangalore.
When contacted last, this is what Pooja had to say “I have got a new lease of life, reasons to smile and I am all to make the most of it. My ambitions have got new wings now”. Tata Sponge wishes Pooja the very best in her future endeavor and will stand by her in her strives.