Ujwala's family consists of her parents and three siblings. She has two elder sisters and a younger brother. The sisters are in college and the brother in school. Ujwala's mother is a housemaid and her father drives an autorickshaw for a living.
Kandivli resident Ujwala Dombre, now 16, is no stranger to working in order to support her family. Her work of making imitation jewellery at home, begun when she was in Standard 4, left her with back problems so severe that she had to be operated upon for them last year. Even today, she has back ache. She endured her pain and balanced her work schedule with her studies to score 85% in the SSC boards this year.
Ujwala's family consists of her parents and three siblings. She has two elder sisters and a younger brother. The sisters are in college and the brother in school. Ujwala's mother is a housemaid and her father drives an autorickshaw for a living.
Her father's life of deprivation has been a major motivation for her. She told dna, "My father could not get educated when he was young, because he lost his father when he was three months old. So he always wanted his children to get educated. He encouraged all of us to study hard."
This motivation was key to her enduring her gruelling schedule. She said, "I attended school from 7am to 12.45pm. After coming home, I would do household work in the absence of my mother, then study for an hour. At 4pm I went to coaching classes, and when I came back I would help my mother and sisters in making imitation jewellery."
She attributes her back problems to her work. "Last year, this work gave me backache. I was operated upon, because fluid was collecting in a region in my back. After my operation, I couldn't sit for long periods. So I would study for an hour at a time, then take a break. But today too, I help my mother in making jewellery, as it helps us financially."
Ujwala gives due credit for her success to her school and her grandparents. She got 89 marks out of 100 in Maths, for which she gives praise to her elder sister Dipalee, who is a student of Commerce and who helped her with her studies. Ujwala has taken admission in the Science stream, and wants to have a career in Computer Engineering in future.
Ujwala's school is the Kandivli-based Matrubhumi Education Society that is supported by the NGO INSEED. The NGO has aided the school by improving its infrastructure and provided funds for notebooks, uniforms, stationery etc.
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