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Since March 2020, 1,47,492 children in India have lost one or both parents to Covid-19., The National Commission for the Protection of Children’s Rights (NCPCR) told the Supreme Court in January this year: Of these, her 8 to her 13 age group has the most children (59,010), followed by her 14 to 15 age group.
Many of these children are now left stranded in a sea of grief and financial battles to fight. I came.
These hopeful children share stories of strength and resilience.
Balancing Family Business and School — The Kanpur Brothers
2021 has been a tough year for Aditya Sanghi, 16, who lost her mother in the second wave, and her 17-year-old sister, Rudranshi Sanghi. COVID-19Taking care of their paraplegic father, the brothers decided to take over the family business to support their education.
“I wanted to become an automotive engineer, but the unfortunate death of my mother changed all plans. According to the teacher’s guidance, I studied commercial flow in class 11. My sister is also studying the same commercial flow, so she helps me with my studies. indianexpress.com
“We go to school every other day. My mother was my only guide and support, and even after she left, her motivational words stayed with me and I scored 89 percent on the Class 10 board exam. ,” he added.
Dropped out after school for a year but got stronger
Raj Rathi from Jodhpur lost his parents to Covid-19 in 2021. Despite going through rough stages, Raj earned his 96.4% score on his Class 12 board exam.
“My parents always encouraged me to work hard, but they never pressured me to take up any particular subject. This is when I decided to take a break for a year.I stayed at my siblings house the whole time and started preparing for the CLAT in December 2021. I enrolled in Top Rankers who will support me academically and financially. I did,” says Raj.
I passed CLAT 2022 with AIR 516 and got into one of the two universities I was applying to. “I wanted to participate in NALSAR. hyderabad Or Gujarat National Law College. With a good score, I got accepted into her GNLU along with a scholarship to help with college tuition. Consolidated he hopes to become a corporate lawyer once he completes his BBA-LLB degree,” he added.
Student by day, Security guard by night
After the death of his father in May 2021, 18-year-old Vikash Kumar was contemplating livelihoods and caregiving. Her Vikash mother, who has to feed a family of six, was doing chores to educate and feed her children.
“I passed Class 12 in 2021 and wanted to pursue engineering. But when my father passed away, financial instability forced me to look for alternatives. , Priya didi from Parkshala NGO guided me to pursue BCA and also took all the financial burden off me.I am currently in my second year of BCA at IMT Greater Noida,” said Vikash. rice field.
But life after his father’s death wasn’t easy for Vikash and his family, who rented a one-room house in Noida. “The rent is high and it is difficult for my mother to feed us all as we are a family of six. At least it helps me pay my rent,” he shared.
I lost my parents and a friend came to my rescue
15-year-old Aryan Sanjay Kandekar’s life changed after losing her parents to Covid within five months last year. Aryan then took refuge in his grandmother’s dilapidated house in Bede, Maharashtra. Currently studying in class 10, Aryan wants to become a bank manager when he grows up.
“The Covid year has been tough both personally and academically. Classes were online, so I missed most of the tutorials in the first few months after my father died. A friend of mine came to my rescue and we joined the online class from his mother’s mobile phone.I am grateful to his family for letting me study with him. I want to study hard and earn a lot so that I don’t have to rely on it.”
Until 2020, Aryan was attending speech therapy to treat his stuttering, but after losing his parents to Covid, he has no financial resources left to continue treatment. and do not want to burden her with additional burdens, she spends most of her pension on my studies, books and other necessities.Stuttering is now an identity for me And I accepted it. My friends and teachers have supported me, been patient with me, and encouraged me not to see this as a failure,” Aryan said. rice field.
“Fulfilling my father’s dream”
“My father always wanted to be a doctor, but he couldn’t because of financial reasons. Lucknow I lost my father to Covid in the second wave of the pandemic.
“My father worked as a receptionist at Javitri Hospital and lost his life while saving the lives of others due to COVID-19. His sacrifice is an inspiration to me and I At this stage, his classmates and teachers were the most supportive, as they ensured that none of the students had dropped out of school after losing their parents, and they paid for his tuition. I even offered to pay, and thanks to their efforts, I was able to score 76 percent on the officer’s exam,” she said.
Shikha had been preparing for NEET since class 10, but had to drop coaching classes due to financial constraints. “I live in a joint family and my uncle sponsors my schooling. Both of my older brothers are currently in college, so my immediate family has no breadwinners. Starting coaching now can be tough.” However, we will resume preparations through online platforms and websites,” Velma said triumphantly.
