The graduate son's father, Maheshdan has studied only till the eighth grade and his wife is illiterate.
When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the greatest strength of India is our spirit of 'can-do', speaking at the convocation of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad on Saturday evening, a humble farmer couple from Harmu village in Jhalor, Rajasthan - listening with rapt attention though unable to comprehend - was the perfect embodiment of his words.
They were proud parents of one of the 316 students who received their diploma certificates from the institute's flagship post graduate programme (PGP). Fighting back tears of joy, his eyes were brimming with unseen dreams for his 26-year-old son Manohar Charan. The father, Maheshdan has studied only till the eighth grade and his mother is illiterate. The couple who, who spends their days milching cows and working on the farm looked distinctly out of place at the chic affair of urbane India on the lawns of Louis Kahn Plaza. They were conscious of the intriguing stares they attracted, but the restrained attention of the crowd did not seem to intimidate them.
The mother, Sua Kunver Charan, shy to even lift the ceremonial ghunghat, was a sharp contrast to the lady sitting next to her, wearing a stylish silk sari and the trendiest jewellery. "I wash and milk buffaloes daily," was her soft response, while her husband answers for her most other questions. "My younger son is also an engineer and he works with a company in Gurgaon," she adds.
With primary education in Jhalor, Manohar broke ground first with studying civil engineering from IIT Kanpur. "That's impressive," the chic neighbour remarked, "My son is an engineer too; he graduated from IIT Delhi."
After cracking CAT in the first attempt and studying at IIM-A, Manohar is now placed with the Royal Bank of Scotland in Hong Kong. He will be spending some time in London for training. Sua Kunver and Maheshdan are clueless where London is. "He (Manohar) said it is where the Angrez who ruled us came from," said Maheshdan, with the sharp bucolic fragrance palpable in the air.
"They are the face of a changing India," the chic neighbour said. One couldn't agree more.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}