: Well Digging to Construction Work Professor Does It All To Make Dream Come True #IndiaNEWS #Education Niyaz Panakaje is an assistant professor of commerce and management at Srinivas University in

Well Digging to Construction Work Professor Does It All To Make Dream Come True #IndiaNEWS #Education
Niyaz Panakaje is an assistant professor of commerce and management at Srinivas University in Mangaluru, Karnataka. A native of Sonanduru village, about 60 km from his workplace, the 29-year-old holds a bachelors degree in commerce and recently earned a PhD. Becoming a professor is the only dream he carried for years, and he fought his way up to stand among hundreds of students, giving them lessons.
Though, at the onset, it may seem like an ordinary story of a village boy earning a decent living, the journey of Niyaz is extraordinary as it exemplifies what sheer determination and grit and help achieve in a person.
Despite being the youngest sibling among eight, Niyaz has juggled many hats to earn for his family and pursue his dream of becoming a scholar.
His father, Ibrahim, worked as a coolie, and his mother, Zubeda, rolled beedis. But the income was never enough to feed the ten-member family. “From an early age, I realised the need of financially supporting the family. I started selling newspapers when I was in class four and worked as domestic help, such as cleaning toilets, dishes, and other chores. We received food and money in return. The small amount helped to feed the family,??? he says.
Left no stone unturned
Niyaz working odd jobs.
Since his childhood, Niyaz claims to have done over 20 odd jobs, some of them he cannot remember, and strains his memory while recollecting his journey for The Better India.
“My siblings and I worked on any job that came on the way. At times we were called to carry luggage as a coolie. At the same time, on occasions, we went to work as agricultural labourers picking cow dung, cleaning grass or pursuing other farm activity. We had no option but to accept all the work for money,??? he says.
Among other things, Niyaz says he cut trees, climbed areca nut, coconut, mango, jackfruit trees to pluck fruits and plenty of other things. “I worked at grain mills, a salesman at the ration shop and repaired bicycles. The jobs continued till 2009 when I finished class XII,??? he adds.
However, in 2012, he took admission to pursue a graduate degree in commerce and took riskier jobs for a better income. “There were fewer volunteers to dig wells as it came with immense risks. As the labourers dig almost 150 feet into the ground, the land could slide, or rocks fall on the workers. But it paid Rs 50 a day, which was a good sum,??? Niyaz says.
In 2014, he started pursuing his Masters in Commerce at St Agnes Centre for Postgraduate Studies and Research, and took a job as a mason and involved himself in dangerous places like constructing pillars and building slabs. Additionally, he drove an auto-rickshaw and worked as a receptionist at a lodge.

Stock Market NEWS Best intraday tips Intraday Stocks below 100