Do-gooders help students reach for the stars

PUNE: When Atul Ingle left his home in Jalna, after getting admission in the first year electronics engineering course at College of Engineering Pune, he had only Rs2,500 in his pocket. Coming from Jalna, Atul's father passed away years ago when he was young and his mother makes do with whatever her relatives offer. Accommodation and food expense soon drained away his funds and Atul was Soon he exhausted all his money in accommodation and food and was forced to stay a night at the Shivajinagar bus stand.
Determined to end his education, he went to meet a teacher the next day. However, the professor Mahesh Shindikar turned out to be an angel in disguise, for Atul who ensured Atul was accommodated in the college hostel as well as arranged a Tata Summer Scholarship for him.not only arranged for his accommodation in the college hostel but also arranged Tata's scholarship for him.
Along with other professors, Shindikar has helped turn around the lives of several such brilliant students have on their own turned around life of many such brilliant students from economically weaker sections of the society by meeting corporates and arranging for scholarships. Through his connections, Shindikar has been able to manage corporate scholarships for poor students in five colleges in the state So much is the corporate world's trust on him that now he on his own manages corporate scholarships for poor students in five colleges across the state.
Pupils reap benefits
Atul is now a third-year student of engineering. After scoring 88.6% in class XII from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, he qualified the JEE mains and got into COEP. But Atul's troubles were only beginning. "My relatives came to know about the opportunity and they gave me the college fee. I came here and started living in the hostel with them without the warden's knowledge of the warden," he said.
Atul was banking on getting a place in the Social Welfare Department's hostel but couldn't get through. "I was really hard pressed for money. With all the books, food and other expenses, there was very little left for anything else. I wasn't able to get a place in the Social Welfare Department's hostel at the time due to some technical error on their part," Atul recalled. When the hostel's warden One day the warden of the hostel found out about him, he asked Atul and asked him to leave.
"I had no money so I went to the bus standand hence I went to the Shivaji Nagar bus stop and stayed the night there. By the next morning, I determined to ask for a transfer to Aurangabad which is less expensive or end my education. That is when Shindikar sir heard me out and helped me," said Atul who now receives Tata Summer Scholarship. Once he completes the course, After engineering, Atul wants to become a civil servant and make sure grants are available for economically weak but bright students.
Ashish Kulkarni from Osmanabad is another candidate who scored 93% in both class X and XII and also got a score of 180/200 in the common entrance test. "My father is a farmer and my mother is a housewife. We have a 4-acre piece of land but due to the drought, revenue from it is almost zero. My relatives helped pay the fees for the college and hostel was all paid by my relatives. Later, I applied for and came to know about the scholarships and applied to Shindikar sir. I was selected for the Vinod Doshi Scholarship. I've scored 9 CGPA throughout the last three years," said Ashish, who Ashish who is in his fourth year has been placed in a Hyderabad-based software company where his initial salary is Rs18 lakh, per annum.
Thanks to his own experience, the young man has decided to put aside a portion of his salary so as to provide a scholarship for a worthy student. His own experience has helped the young man "I have decided that starting my first year as a salaried person, I will start giving scholarships to students in COEP. "It is a great feeling when someone helps you fulfil your dream. I want to do the same for others," Ashish smiled.
Steady growth
The scheme started in 2009-10 when, through the Vinod and Sarayu Doshi Foundation, Premier Group of Industries approached COEP to with the aim of help students. Senior office-bearers of the college at the time and Shindikar became involved in the process "The then director, professor Sahasrabudhe, then deputy director and current director professor Ahuja, then academic dean Professor Vagge and I were involved in the process. "It started with 10 students. Soon, more companies signed upstarted showing an interest in giving scholarships for economically weak but bright students. Now, we can provide have the capacity of giving scholarships to over 150 students. There are over 20 different scholarships and the total amount given out may be over Rs25 lakh, per annum," said Shindikar.
Since 2014, four other city colleges have become part of the project in the have started reaping benefits of the project. "Government Polytechnic Pune, Government College of Engineering Avasari, Cummins College of Engineering and Vishwakarma Institute of Technology have also become part of the scheme for their students," said Shindikar. While Shindikar has to devote additional time apart from his teaching time to monitor the centralized process, he doesn't complain. "I am happy that I can am able to become a medium of help for these students," he said. Students come from extremely poor backgrounds and some of the stories are eye openers for us. They are extremely bright students and if we are able to lessen the load of finances from their shoulders, then I think that time cannot be called as wasted," said Shindikar.
Many students get absorbed in the companies giving scholarship. "It is such a pleasure to see these kids getting placed. Nothing can replace the satisfaction that the smile on their and their parents face gives us," said Shindikar.
"There are many who want to help and then there are many who need help. All we are trying to do is be a medium for them. We can probably help private college students who are meritorious but from economically weaker. This will ensure that no child's dream is sacrificed for lack of money," said Shindikar.