18-year-old Shiv hails from Joda village in the Keonjhar district of Orissa, which is one of the country's 250 most backward districts. He belongs to a family of farmers, and his father owns a small piece of land where they cultivate rice. Shiv completed his 10th grade from the school in his village and for the next two years, he helped his family in farming but did not take an active interest in pursuing it further.
"Ours is a small piece of land, and we do not spend much time on the field ...we have to sit idle most of the time. However, I wanted to do something different", he says.
When he was in 10th grade, Shiv developed an interest towards working in a hotel. He recalls watching hotels on television serials and films. "Initially I did not know they were hotels. I just looked at them as huge buildings. But later I realised that they were hotels", he admits. He further stresses that he was impressed seeing the guests in these hotels and always wanted to talk them.
"However I was very shy. I was used to the quiet life in my village, and I had never travelled much", he recalls. Around the same time, he came to know of Pratham's hospitality program from an acquaintance in his village and decided to inform his father of his aspirations. After initial discussions, his father agreed, and Shiv enrolled himself as a student at Pratham's hospitality centre at Sheragada in Ganjam district.
Shiv chose to be a chef and thus joined the food production department. However, he took some time to overcome his shyness. "It was a slow transformation", he says. "I remained quiet for the first few days. But it was fascinating to witness many people like me, and most of them had a similar background. I started talking to them and slowly opened up", he recalls. "Now I can interact with many people."
But he gives credit to his teachers for this change. "The teachers here answer our questions, no matter how many times we ask them and this makes us feel that we are not asking anything wrong", he adds. He has learned a lot of new dishes. "I can boast about it when I go back to my village", he says with a smile.
When we ask him where he wants to work, he replies,"Mumbai or Delhi...as these cities have tall buildings and hotels...!" But after a pause, with a mischievous smile, he adds, " I also want to work in Dubai...I have heard many things about that place."
Apart from his dream of working in a hotel, Shiv has many plans for his family. From his first salary, he plans to buy new clothes for his parents and also spend some money on house repairs.
"Ours is a small piece of land, and we do not spend much time on the field ...we have to sit idle most of the time. However, I wanted to do something different", he says.
When he was in 10th grade, Shiv developed an interest towards working in a hotel. He recalls watching hotels on television serials and films. "Initially I did not know they were hotels. I just looked at them as huge buildings. But later I realised that they were hotels", he admits. He further stresses that he was impressed seeing the guests in these hotels and always wanted to talk them.
"However I was very shy. I was used to the quiet life in my village, and I had never travelled much", he recalls. Around the same time, he came to know of Pratham's hospitality program from an acquaintance in his village and decided to inform his father of his aspirations. After initial discussions, his father agreed, and Shiv enrolled himself as a student at Pratham's hospitality centre at Sheragada in Ganjam district.
Shiv chose to be a chef and thus joined the food production department. However, he took some time to overcome his shyness. "It was a slow transformation", he says. "I remained quiet for the first few days. But it was fascinating to witness many people like me, and most of them had a similar background. I started talking to them and slowly opened up", he recalls. "Now I can interact with many people."
But he gives credit to his teachers for this change. "The teachers here answer our questions, no matter how many times we ask them and this makes us feel that we are not asking anything wrong", he adds. He has learned a lot of new dishes. "I can boast about it when I go back to my village", he says with a smile.
When we ask him where he wants to work, he replies,"Mumbai or Delhi...as these cities have tall buildings and hotels...!" But after a pause, with a mischievous smile, he adds, " I also want to work in Dubai...I have heard many things about that place."
Apart from his dream of working in a hotel, Shiv has many plans for his family. From his first salary, he plans to buy new clothes for his parents and also spend some money on house repairs.
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