HYDERABAD: If Rayarakula Rajesh had resigned himself to his fate, he would have been just another helper working for a wedding caterer in rural Telangana, earning about Rs 200 daily. But the 34-year-old from a village in Warangal decided in 2018 he would join the extremely competitive race for a state govt job.
Rajesh was acutely aware of the fact that thousands applied for every single position in the govt and chances of landing a job were slim. But he told himself that he would have been happy with just a job, any job in the govt. A fixed income would have ensured that he helped feed his paralytic father and mother, who worked as a daily-wage labourer.
In the past six years, however, Rajesh has received offer letters for not one, not two, but eight jobs and he prepared for all of them without once stepping into a coaching centre. He accomplished this feat by dedicatedly studying by himself at his village, Nallabelly, and at the Osmania University library in Hyderabad.
Worked part-time to support family: Rajesh
Coaching centres were beyond my means,” he said. “To support my family, I took up part-time jobs until I got a post in the govt. And on the side, I kept studying to pass recruitment exams.”
Working as a postgraduate teacher in a social welfare school in Eturnagaram since 2018, he had received offer letters for six jobs including panchayat secretary, postgraduate teacher, trained graduate teacher, assistant statistical officer, hostel welfare officer, and Group IV services.
Recently, he was selected for the junior lecturer‘s position which he will take up soon as it is a gazetted officer’s position.
“Between 2014 and 2016, my father fell ill and became bedridden,” he told TOI. “I supplemented my mother’s limited income by working as a helper at weddings alongside catering services, sometimes earning as little as 100. I faced many hardships during this phase. Watching my mother work as a daily-wage labour hurt me and also motivated me to secure a govt job.”
He added that despite being selected in Group 1 prelims, he faced a setback.”I was unwell during the crucial months before the Mains exam which prevented me from appearing for the test,” he said. “This missed opportunity remains a lifelong regret for me.”
Rajesh’s success has now pushed his brother, who has already secured a job in the municipal department under Group IV services and is anticipating the results of Group 1 mains.
