With water shortage becoming a major issue in parts of rural Sangli district, parents of students who are studying in Sangli have asked their children to stay in the city and not come home for vacations after their exams as they do not have sufficient water. Students forced to stay back have no option but to look for jobs and earn some money to support themselves and their education as their parents, usually farmers, do not have sufficient monetary resources.
Speaking about the situation in his village, Ravindra Patil, who hails from Mangalvera village near Jath which is 92 kms from Sangli said, “The drought in our village is such that water is unavailable even for drinking. In such a situation there is no point in going home and dying of thirst,” said Patil who studies in Chintamanrao College of Commerce in Sangli.
Vishal Goda, another student from the same college and a resident of Jatharbobla village about 30 kms from Jath said, “We own a sizable plot of land but we are almost like paupers as there have been no crops this year. Whatever savings were there have been spent in the past year and whatever little is left my parents are saving to buy seeds for sowing if there is rain this year. They have asked me to fend for myself in Sangli,” said Mr Goda.
Like Mr Goda there are hundreds of students studying in Willingdon College of Science and Arts and G A College of Commerce in Sangli who are faced with such a predicament. However, with businesses in Sangli depending on the farm produce from surrounding villages the absence of produce has also created a paucity of jobs. Hence students are forced to take up whatever jobs they can get.
Sudhir Mane, the sales officer of spice manufacturing company in Sangli said, “The boys are willing to work for a fourth of the salaries that regular salesmen get which is about `8,000 to 10,000. However, as these boys are looking for part-time jobs, we are not in a position to hire them,” said Mr Mane.
The boys say they feel like outcasts as they can neither go back to their parents nor can they survive in the city without funds. With room rents per head being around `600 per month and food expenses about `1,000-1,200, students say they are willing to do anything to earn `2,000 per month.
However, with the vacations nearing, the desperation of the students is only increasing and with no help from the government, the boys are even willing to move to other cities for jobs.