STORY OF A YOUNGSTER MAKING HIS DESTINY

No Obstacle is hard enough if one decides to chase his dreams. There has been end number of stories so prove that if one has a will, there is a way for him.

This is the Story of a young boy who has become a role model for many young armed forces aspirants. He worked as an Ola cab driver to make his ends meet but today he is an officer who has passed out from Officers Training Academy in Chennai on March 10, and this has made his family really proud.

He is Lt. Om Paithane. Om was inspired by a passenger, Colonel Bakshi(Retired), whose first name he does not remember. “It is Col. Bakshi Sir who changed my life. Talking to me, he suggested about the opportunities in the armed forces and the Combined Defence Service (CDS) exams and even referred me to Lt. Col. Ganesh Babu, the then Director, Armed Forces Officers Selection Orientation Programme,” Om said.
After this, Om decided to appear for the CDS exams in 2016 and cleared it in his first attempt. He then cleared the Service Selection Board (SSB) exam in Bhopal to join the OTA for his training.
The Paithane family hails from Tondal village near Pune in Maharashtra. Speaking to IANS on his achievement, Om had said, “I am extremely happy and overwhelmed… It’s like a dream come true.”Our family needed financial assistance. He used to manage both studies and driving. My father was a driver for almost 25 yrs and did not want us to get into that profession and wanted us to get more educated. Om used to hide from him that he is driving,” said Om’s brother Adinath.”For an humble family like ours with limited resources or influence at their command, this is a huge achievement and an inspiration for many others struggling to improve their lives,” said his brother Adinath.

Incidentally, Om`s father UttamPaithane worked as a driver for nearly three decades and faced major problems with his knees, both of which were required to be replaced a few years ago.
Unfortunately, while one knee operation was successful, the other failed, making him practically immobile and compelled him to take up a job as security guard in Pune, said Adinath, who now works with the HR Department in TCS, Pune.
However, life has suddenly changed for the entire family, including his home-maker mother Sushila and their married sister Monika, as news of Om`s achievement started trickling out in the local media since Monday morning.

This has resulted in a total transformation in Om`s life and personality… The way people look at him and his uniform with respect… He feels proud donning the uniform, but is still humble and eternally grateful to all the people including Col. Bakshi Sir, who guided him at all steps,” Adinath said.