From a software developer to an award-winning farmer – it is really an inspiring and life-changing story of a young girl who is farming gold in the field and has been awarded as ‘Krishithon Best Woman Pharma Award’.
These kind of incidents are very rare in today’s society. The girl is cultivating for her father by stopping her studies. She is abandoning her dream of engineering and cultivating like his father. The dream of becoming a lady engineer was nurtured by her parents, but what happened was totally different.
The name of the girl is Jyotsna Donde. She is a resident of Lonwadi village of Nasik, Maharashtra. Jyotsna was a very talented student from her childhood. Her parents expected that their daughter would become a great engineer after completing her study. But she had to give up even after getting a good job. Maybe the job was probably not written in her destiny.
Vijay Daund, Jyotsna’s father, wanted to become a lawyer. But, the situation could not support him and he ultimately took his family occupation of grape-farming. Jyotsna’s mother, Lata Daund, wanted to become a doctor but could not proceed further on that way due to her family condition and she left education after passing 12th Class. Both of them had aspiration that their daughter would achieve higher education and position in society.
Jyotsna’s father used to cultivate grapes. Jyotsna’s father had a big accident in the year 1998 when she was only 6-year-old. Her father broken his legs in that accident and had to spend 7 months in hospital. Her mother Lata Daund had to take the responsibilities of her father, cost of the treatment, kids and also of the grape farm.
Read: Chandmoni Hembrum, a singing talent discovered from the tribal area of Hooghly
Lata would also accompany little Jyotsna with her to the grape farm. By the time the little girl grown-up to 12 and in those days she had acknowledged most of the techniques to manage a farm and would help her mother. As they were a very ordinary family, all the expenditure of their family was dependent on farming.
Jyotsna used to go to the farm 2 times a day with her mother. She used to cultivate and simultaneously she continued her study. Her father recovered from his illness and started walking again in the year 2005. Jyotsna then left farming and involved into the study again to become an engineer.
After completing computer application, she continued to advanced study towards software engineering. Everything was right so far regarding her study, but the Almighty God might have programmed for her differently.
An incident happened in the year 2010. At that time, the farm of Jyotsna’s father was ready to be harvested while an untimely heavy rainfall started to damage the grapes. Her father ran out to buy fertilizer to save the rest of the grapes in the field. On his way back, he slipped off the stairs and got heavily injured. He became hospitalized and it was informed by the doctor that his legs have become damaged permanently. Jyotsna’s father sent back her mother into the field with the fertilizer to save the rest of the fruits.
Jyotsna used to travel 18 km every day to reach her college at Pimpal Gaon. In that long way of travel, she used to change 2 buses and to cover a walking distance of 2 km. She used to wake up early in the morning and go to the farm and after completing the farming work there, she uses to go to her college. After returning from the college she used to go back to the farm again. It was her daily routine.
On answering an interview she told that her father taught her how to drive a tractor while he was admitted in the hospital. Jyotsna resumed the training from her father like where the clutch was when to change the gear etc. and practised it after reaching the farm.
Jyotsna Daund, working in her farm with a tractor.
Jyotsna, taking care of her farm.
She got a job in a software development company in Nasik through a campus selection after completing her MCA. Although she joined the company, a consistent worry for the farm used to haunt her mind. After working one and half year in the company she decided to leave the job to take the full responsibility of the farm. In the year 2017, she left the job. She used to save some amount of money to provide education for her brother and meet household expenses.
She devoted day and night to look after the farm and gave full attention to the plants. Later she shared some of her experiences after spending a long time on her farm.
She told that if anybody would take good care of the plants till it would grow into a tree and good results used to come out. She told that she used to cut unwanted branches, would straighten the vines and gave them required nourishment time to time. She also expressed her bitter experiences about the electricity. She often stayed awake to start water pump for providing water to the plants as electricity was available only a few hours in the night.
Jyotsna got some free time after the plants grew strong within 6 months. She joined a local school as a teacher and started earning some extra money and thereby attaching herself into academics. But, she never ever ignored her farm.
Her sharp mind and hard work produced good results during the fruiting seasons. The quantity of fruits has already increased. A tree that used to give 15-16 grapes on a branch generally, currently giving 25-30 grapes on a branch. She has been awarded as “KRISHITHON SANMAN” award titled as ‘Krishithon Best Woman Pharma Award’ in the year 2016. She has made her father’s dream into success and made him smile.
Courtesy for all of the above pictures – The Better India
