Sweeper To Assistant General Manager at SBI, This Lady Is An Epitome Of Determination

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Sweeper To Assistant General Manager at SBI, This Lady Is An Epitome Of Determination

Success lies beyond hard work, unwavering commitment and resilience. This holds true for 58 years old Pratiksha Tondwalkar, who began her career as a sweeper and moved on to become the Assistant General Manager at SBI! Here is her story of sheer grit and dedication.

Stood tall against all odds

Pratiksha Tondwalkar was born in a poor household and was married off at the age of 17. As fate would have it, her husband died in a road accident when she was only 20 years old. Pratiksha’s world came crashing down as she was left to fend for herself and her 2-year-old son. With no degree in hand, Pratiksha desperately started looking for a job. She went to the State Bank of India (SBI) Mumbai branch where her husband worked as a bookbinder, to collect his dues and requested the bank for a job to sustain herself and her son.

She thus began working as a sweeper at the bank on a salary of INR 65 per month. She would sweep the bank premises, clean the bathrooms and then go for other menial jobs that she had taken up to support herself and her son. However, nothing broke her spirit. Being amongst educated people ignited her desire to study, something that she could not do during her childhood.

From misery to success

Life was hard for Pratiksha. Being a single mother, she was doing everything to keep her head above water but it seemed every day was a challenge for her.

"Whenever my son asked for a packet of biscuits, I would get off one stop early on the bus just so that I could save the money to be able to afford them," she said in an interview.

Pratiksha desperately wanted to break free from the life of drudgery and financial constraints and education was her only ray of hope. Seeing her strong desire, her relatives and even the bank officials came forward to help her in whatever way they could.

Pratiksha crossed one milestone after another and finally got a degree in Psychology. Acknowledging her dedication, the bank promoted Pratiksha to the position of a clerk and gradually everything started to fall in place for her. Meanwhile, Pratiksha also decided to marry a bank messenger who was a supportive husband and motivated her to sit for banking exams. As years passed, Pratisksha kept climbing the professional ladder, became a trainee officer in 2004, and was finally promoted to the post of Assistant General Manager in 2022.

Pratiksha’s ambition to achieve her dream is exemplary. Her journey will inspire millions to dream big and work towards achieving the set goals. Pratiksha Tondwalkar is all set to retire in about 2 years but is as ambitious as ever. She is looking forward to making a career in naturopathy in her second innings!