Studied for years, still no job: Aspirant joins protest after 8 years of preparation

Eight years of preparation, financial pressure and questions from relatives have taken a toll on Zahid. Now, the Ranchi-based JSSC CGL aspirant is protesting for a fairer examination system.

In Short

• He supports himself in Ranchi through tuition work and odd jobs
• Visits home feel harder as relatives question his continued unemployment
• Repeated leak allegations have weakened his faith that effort alone matters

In a small, damp room in Ranchi, a table lamp lights up Zahid’s books and, with them, the hopes of a farmer family from Latehar that has been waiting for a government job for eight years.

Zahid has been preparing for the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC CGL) examination since 2018. Today, he is among thousands of candidates protesting in Ranchi, demanding what they describe as a fair, transparent and reliable examination system.

For Zahid, however, the protest is not only about an examination. It is also about eight years of his life spent preparing, the financial pressure of staying away from home and the questions that have become increasingly difficult to answer.

EIGHT YEARS OF PREPARATION, ONE UNCERTAIN FUTURE

“I've been preparing in Ranchi since 2018. Being away from home for so many years has been a test not only for my studies but also for my financial and mental well-being,” Zahid says.

Some of his expenses are supported by his family, but he says he no longer feels comfortable repeatedly asking them for money. To manage his daily needs, he teaches tuition and takes up odd jobs.

“This struggle has become a part of my life. Living in a small room, I have to survive on very limited expenses. Arranging rent, groceries and other necessities isn't easy,” he says.

For Zahid, this is not simply a financial struggle. “It's also a fight for courage and patience,” he says.

‘NOW THE QUESTIONS STING’

Going home to his village is not always comforting either. Zahid says he avoids many social gatherings and rarely attends weddings or other events because he knows what questions are likely to follow.

“People don't see your struggle, but only the results,” he says. The question he hears most often is: “You've been studying for so many years, yet you haven't found a job?”

Sometimes, relatives compare him with others who have already found employment. What may sound like a simple question, he says, has started to hurt deeply.

Such comments, he says, can make a person “break down from within”.

WHEN PAPER LEAK NEWS STOPS SURPRISING YOU

Zahid says that reports of paper leaks and examination fraud no longer surprise him. Earlier, such news would make him angry or upset. Now, he says, it mostly leaves him feeling dejected.

“We used to work so that even if someone tried to advance through unfair means, we could still outdo them with our hard work. But when the entire exam is repeatedly shrouded in suspicion, faith in hard work begins to wane,” he says.

The prolonged uncertainty has also taken a mental toll. Zahid says there are times when he feels his memory is not what it used to be. Sometimes, he picks up his phone to do something and forgets what he intended to do moments later.

At times, he considers returning home. But then comes the thought of abandoning eight years of preparation.

The possibility that “next time everything will be alright” keeps him going.

‘WE ARE NOT HERE TO CONFRONT ANYONE’

Zahid insists that the students have not stopped studying because they want to protest. They are protesting because they believe the examination system needs to change.

“If we just keep studying and there are no improvements to the system, the situation will remain the same in the years to come,” he says.

That is why, he says, they chose to express their views peacefully and democratically. “Our aim is not to confront anyone, but to demand a fair and reliable examination system.”

There is fear too. Zahid admits that the possibility of police action or being beaten with sticks frightens him, just as it would anyone else.

“But when a person stands up peacefully for their rights and justice, courage surpasses fear,” he says. “The pain of being beaten with sticks lasts only a few days, but the pain of years of hard work being wasted is profound.”

‘MY MOTHER TOLD ME TO RAISE MY VOICE’

For Zahid, the decision to protest was also shaped by his mother.

She told him that if he did not raise his voice for his rights today, the situation could become even more difficult tomorrow. That gave him the courage to join the movement.

Zahid says the candidates are not asking for anything beyond a system in which their hard work can be trusted.

After eight years of preparation, he says, what they want is simple: a recruitment process where examinations are conducted fairly, irregularities are addressed, and deserving candidates are given a genuine chance to secure the future they have spent years preparing for.

- Ends