Published 14:48 IST, September 17th 2020
Farmer sells cow for daughter's education; says she will wear 'doctor's coat' one day
A farmer from Himachal Pradesh has earned a lot of praises on social media for selling his cow so that his daughter could continue online classes amid lockdown.
A farmer from Himachal Pradesh has earned a lot of praises on social media for selling his cow so that his daughter could continue online classes amid coronavirus lockdown. In an interview with Humans of Bombay, the farmer, who has not been named, revealed his struggle to buy a smartphone just so that the studies of his 10-year-old daughter weren’t compromised. He said that he had to drop out of school in eighth grade, but wanted his kids to get the best education possible.
"Money has always been tight- I make 5000 Rupees each month, sometimes less, but I ensured that both my children went to school,” the farmer said.
The Himachal Pradesh resident said when his daughter’s school started online classes, he did not have a smartphone. The 10-year-old initially went around the village, borrowing smartphones from people so that she could study. However, the farmer noticed that his daughter would spend half of the day wandering around the entire village, trying to find someone to borrow a phone from. The farmer said that soon people started to get fed up and seeing his daughter’s sadness, he then decided to arrange for a smartphone.
He said, “I spoke to a few of my friends, explained my situation and they lent me 5000 Rupees. With that, my wife and I surprised our kids with the phone– they couldn’t control their happiness! My daughter took it and immediately started studying; she’s the one who has the phone most of the time. I was so happy that her studies weren’t compromised”.
It was after a few weeks that the farmer’s friends wanted him to return the money he had borrowed. Instead of breaking his daughter’s heart by returning the smartphone, the farmer decided to sell his cow. Even though his family depends on selling cow milk to survive, the farmer sold his cow and paid his debts.
He added, “It’s my daughter’s dream to become a doctor and as a father, I’ll do anything to make that happen. Pehnegi… ek din meri beti woh saffed coat pehnegi”.
Netizens offer help
The farmer’s story had touched many hearts on social media. Netizens not only found his story ‘inspiring’, but also they flooded the comment section with offers to help him. One internet user wrote, “Such an inspiring story, I'm sure they would need plenty of help going forward too. If Humans of Bombay could publish more of such stories and enable us to help them directly (I would love to be able to support this family or another in need) then I'm sure lots would come forward to do their bit”. Another added, “Too touching with wet eyes. I have firm believe she will be a doctor one day. Where there is a will, there is a way. Universe will send the angels. Stay blessed and happy always”.
Updated 14:47 IST, September 17th 2020