Jalgaon. Yajurvendra Mahajan of Jalgaon in Maharashtra has set an example in education and social service that has changed the lives of hundreds of needy students. To give a better future to economically weaker, differently abled, orphaned and deprived young people, he even sold his ancestral house and agricultural land. Today, the small initiative started through his efforts has grown into Deepstambh Foundation, which provides education, accommodation, guidance and employment opportunities to around 600 students.
The journey began with 10 students in 2005, when Mahajan, while teaching at a coaching institute in Pune, saw that talented students were unable to prepare for competitive examinations because of financial hardship. He decided to leave his job and return to Jalgaon. After selling his ancestral house and farm, he began teaching 10 needy students in a rented house. The following year, all 10 students cleared the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examination and succeeded in becoming first- and second-class officers.
Differently abled and deprived students also received support. In 2009, he established Deepstambh Foundation. The organisation now supports students from 14 of the 21 recognised categories of disability, as well as orphaned, transgender and economically weaker young people. In Jalgaon, an accessible residential complex was built in 2019 at a cost of around Rs 20 crore. Centres are also being run in Pune and Delhi. Through online programmes, students from 16 states have been connected.
There are several inspiring success stories linked to the organisation. Renuka Kekan, despite being more than 80 percent hearing impaired, secured the 948th rank in the civil services examination. Rajesh Pille, who lost both hands, is today a software engineer at Infosys. With the organisation’s help, many other students have also secured government jobs.
According to Mahajan, the organisation spends about Rs 2 lakh annually on each student. He still lives with his family in a rented house. His dream is to help one crore children in his lifetime.
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