For, my Ma.
Praveen has been a mumma’s boy.
But that’s not because of the love shared between a mother and her son, but because they have only had each other for support following the demise of Praveen’s father. This happened days after Praveen had just turned, (we dare not say “sweet”), but nonetheless, 16 years old.
Born in a small village of Kurwande in Lonavala, Praveen lost his father in 2008. As a result, his mother took up the responsibility of earning a livelihood for the family~ each day bringing in new challenges for the calamity-struck family.
Life must go on, and to keep it going, naturally, his mother (the only employable adult at that time) took up a job - working as a helper at the village hospital. It fetched her Rs. 1,500 a month.
But Despite the problems, his mother made sure that Praveen continued his education. Praveen did his part – took up a receptionist’s job at INS Shivaji, a Naval establishment at Lonavala – working in night shifts and going to study during the day.
The society played its part. Bitter part. The mother faced social exclusion and got zero emotional(let alone financial) support. As for Praveen, patriarchy played its part – “A adult male cannot sit home at home, na?” he asks me, with a rather stern look. Without waiting for my reply, he goes on, “Ma had expectations from me, as did my sister~ approaching her marriageable age.”
From receptionist to F&B steward
“With qualifications like mine, receptionist’s was the only job available. I was arranging the newspapers at office when I saw the Tata STRIVE flyer. Mindlessly, I just kept it with me”, he says, adding “Little did I know, how this would be the turning point in my life.”
Soon after, he enrolled into the Food & Beverage Steward Course at the Tata STRIVE Extension Centre in Lonavala. “There,” he says, “everything was taken care of”.
Now this “Everything was taken care of?”, is something that he made repeated references to – to a point that I had to stop him and ask, “Everything…? What does it include?”
“Pretty much everything!” he exclaims, adding “I was taught everything about F&B as a service. Moreover, with Tata STRIVE’s, practical approach to training, everything about my learning needs was taken care of. Their focus on life skills development took care of everything about my overall progress- improved my communication skills, developed my (hitherto crushed) confidence and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. And that to me is everything”
The F&B Serive course lasted 3 months(theory) followed by a one-month practical.
Today, Praveen’s mother, (who was initially skeptical of his decision to join Tata STRIVE for the fear of a disruption in the household income) calls it her son’s “very wise” decision. His facilitator, KamleshKharat, recounts Praveen’s struggle & how he struck a balance between the course, family responsibilities and a part-time job. Kharat is all smiles as he narrates how Praveen has successfully completed his OJT (On the Job Training) and has been offered a job as a F&B Steward by AvinashWaigawkar, F&B Manager at Taj Gateway, Hinjewadi following the completion of Praveen’s OJT.
As for Praveen, ask him about what kept him going through such adversities, and just like a gentlemanly mumma’s boy he replies, “This has all been for, my Ma.”