Surat office boy becomes CA

This diamond city has a Phungsuk Wangdu of the ‘3 Idiots’ fame in 24-year-old office boy, Shailesh Ghule, who has cleared his final CA exams with flying colours, reported the Times of India (TOI).

Unlike Wangdu played by Aamir Khan, Shailesh did not impersonate anyone to pursue his love for studies, but does have the same background. Living in a 12x25 room in a slum in Limbayat with a family of five, he has successfully stepped in to the world of chartered accountants. He cleared his CA final exams with 220 and 210 marks in both the groups and ultimately plans to set up his own consultancy firm.

Shailesh, youngest son of housemaid Nirmala and textile loom worker Arun, a migrant Maharashtrian family, studied in Sarvajanik High school in Marathi medium and did BCom from IGNOU. While doing BCom he came in contact with Jay Chhaira, his tutor and employer, running the Institute of Professional Studies in Athwalines. He joined the institute as a student-cum-office-boy so that he wouldn’t have to lay any financial burden on his father and elder brother.

Many have seen Shailesh sitting quietly on the third floor steps of Tirupati Plaza engrossed in studies. Many have also seen him riding seven kilometres every day from Limbayat to the institute. “With a monthly income of Rs6,000 I knew I could not expect money from my family. So I decided to work and earn for my education,” Shailesh told TOI. He did lose heart in between and left studies completely for two years, only to return with more vigour and cleared every exam. After clearing his initial exams, he served his articleship and internship at Sushil Banadhiya and Sons and Kaniya Asava and Company. Chhaira, his tutor, said, “This boy always had the will to succeed”.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2010.