Meet Priyanka Kamble, a Pune waste picker who was taunted as 'Anpadh', clears SSC exam, now dreams of becoming...

There's a popular saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way" - Maharashtra's Priyanka Kamble took it seriously and embarked on the journey to rewrite their academic history. Often taunted as 'Anpadh' (uneducated), she not only rewrote her fate, but also realised a sense of self-worth as she cleared the SSC exam.

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education declared the results on May 13, with the overall pass percentage recorded at an impressive 94.10 per cent. Girls outshone boys, with a pass percentage of 96.14 per cent and 92.31 per cent respectively. 

Meanwhile, Priyanka Kamble is a waste picker in Pune. She was regulary taunted by her in-laws for not having gone to school. Triggered, she decided to pursue education. "Their words kept ringing in my ears. I wanted to prove them wrong," Kamble, 27, a member of SWaCH cooperative, who was pulled out of school after Class 3, as quoted by Times of India. 

After marriage, she moved to her in-laws' home in Solapur. She shared that she decided to leave their house after receiving humiliation and taunts. "They would call me ‘anpadh' and humiliate me. There were constant fights. I left their house and came to Pune to earn and live with dignity", she added. 

Collected waste in morning, attended school by 2 p.m. 

After moving to Pune with her son, Priyanka Kamble enrolled at Rambai Ranade School in 2022. She used to collect waste in the morning, prepare lunch for her son and attend school by 2 p.m., as reported by TOI. With her perseverance and hard work, she scored 48 per cent in SSC examination. 

Kamble now dreams of becoming an Anganwadi Sevika, suggests the media outlet.