Destiny changes in a matter of few seconds but hardwork is a prerequisite. This holds true for 27-year-old Sashikant Sharma who sold fried snacks on the pavements of Odisha till recently to support his family.
But on August 13, Sharma's luck took a new turn when he cleared the final exam of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India -- one of the toughest professional final test of India. The success was not an easy one - it took Sharma six attempts to get through the exam, Hindustan Times reported.
Sharma comes from a poor family. His father is a temple priest who earns mere Rs 200 a day - an amount that does not suffice to meet the needs of the household. For this reason, Sharma and his elder brother, Manoj, began selling fried snacks on pavements.
Despite the hardships and low income, Sharma did not give up studies and completed his graduation in commerce from a college in Jharsuguda.
It was during his days in college that one of his teachers advised him to appear for the CA exam.
“No one else in my family has studied as much as I have, “ the report in Hindustan Times quoted Sharma as saying.
“But I was very poor in English and couldn’t afford regular tuition. So I started referring to English dictionaries regularly and gradually improved my English vocabulary,” he said.
To prepare for the competitive exam, Sharma needed to take coaching classes for eight papers, which would cost him a large amount. But due to the lack of money, Sharma said, he could not afford it. Sharma took loan from his maternal uncle to pay for four classes. For the rest of the papers, the Samosa seller used to prepare by himself.
Even when he dedicated most of his time to studies, Sharma never refused to help out his brother with the handcart. He used to study for 18-19 hours a day and even at times, he would skip his meals to save time.
Despite the failure in first five attempts, Sharma did not give up.
“There were several moments when I thought like throwing in the towel. But I always knew I had to crack the exam, come what may. In the evening, I would be at my brother’s handcart. But he would ensure that I am not held up for too long there,” Sharma was quoted as saying.
Sharma’s mother, Indra Devi Sharma, says it was his brother Manoj who stood by him like a rock and supported him throughout.
