Emotional And Recalling Post Uploaded By An Oxford Graduate For Her Late Grandfather Goes Viral

Juhi Kore posted a tribute to her late maternal grandfather on LinkedIn when she received her master's degree in comparative social politics from the University of Oxford.She described her own problems getting an education in the now-famous essay, as well as how his perseverance helped her succeed and realize her dreams.

Juhi claimed that throughout her childhood, her grandpa, who came from a lower-caste family in Maharashtra, had to battle for his right to go to school. She claims that not every person was given the opportunity to live a free and independent life in 1947, the year India was proclaimed a free and independent nation. Despite the fact that he was of school age, [her grandfather's] family did not want him to go to school for two main reasons: first, as the eldest of four, he needed to work on a farm to support his family, and second, his parents were concerned about how he might be treated by both students and teachers.

However, Juhi's grandfather struck a bargain with his parents to start working on the farm at three in the morning in exchange for being able to attend school for the second half of the morning. The young boy was unable to sit in the classroom despite daily walks of almost 1.5 hours and the lack of even a decent pair of shoes to wear. She recounted that he would borrow old books from older, like-minded "outcast" (scheduled caste) students and study under the only light post in the village late into the night because his farm labor didn't pay in money, only food. His persistence and commitment led to him not just passing his examinations, but outranking all his classmates, overcoming all the bullying from his upper caste peers, discrimination from his upper caste professors, and not being permitted to sit in the classroom.

The young student's talent was recognized by her grandfather's principal, who paid for his education and living expenses in Mumbai. To make ends meet, Juhi's grandfather worked full-time as a janitor in a government office while studying English and pursuing a law degree. He eventually earned his master's degree while working as a high-ranking government official in the same building.

She remembers calling her granddad the day she was admitted to the institution. In his neighborhood, every vegetable vendor and corner shop employee had heard the news. Juhi sadly lost her grandfather more than a year ago. "We weren't able to fulfil our shared wish for him to physically attend my Oxford graduation ceremony. But I'm confident that he was thinking warmly of me, she continued.

Juhi thanked her grandfather for transforming his reality of being forbidden to sit inside the classroom to having a granddaughter stroll through the halls of the top university in the world.