The first government job in 75 years in a remote village in Bihar has become a cause for great celebration. A 25-year-old man secured a government job as a teacher in a local primary school at Sohagpur village in Muzaffarpur’s Katra block, which is a rare achievement for the village’s residents, given that none have been able to secure a job since Independence.
Appointed as a schoolteacher in a local primary school located in Muzaffarpur district of the state, Rakesh Kumar, was on cloud nine after getting the job. “None from my village was able to get any government job in the past 75 years but I wanted to break this record and change the image of my village. Thank God, I have done this, finally,” Rakesh told Times of India.
Broken the traditional belief
The villagers came to know about his job after he returned to his village a few days ago after completing the joining procedures. The villagers broke into wild celebration, handing out sweets and smearing gulal on each other’s faces as they greeted the youth, who had broken the traditional belief that government jobs are “out of bounds” for residents of this 2,000-person village.
Rakesh was 19 years old when he lost his father Ram Lal Chaudhary, leaving him in a deep financial crisis. In the absence of other options, he began teaching local children to supplement his education and continued to concentrate on his studies, eventually achieving his goal.
He said he faced severe difficulties in his life but none from the village helped him in distress. “My only dream was to somehow get a government job and that urge forced me to work hard,” says Rakesh, wearing a long vermillion mark on his forehead and local villagers shouting with joy.
Local villagers said they were very happy and hoped this will inspire the young generation to get government jobs. “It’s a matter of great pleasure for all of us that someone from this village of 2000 population has got a government job after Independence. This will inspire the new generation to go for government jobs and change the image of the village,” remarked local villager Sanjeet Kumar.
