Pune: Man who worked as a waiter to make ends meet clears MPSC exam in 5th attem

Dinesh Sakat

The hard work of a Shirur lad who struggled to complete his education, and determinedly gave the Maharashtra Public Services Examination repeatedly despite not clearing it, has borne fruit. Clearing it on his fifth attempt, he will soon join the police force as a sub-inspector. Dinesh Madhukar Sakat, 27, and his three siblings are children of Nanda, a well-known lavani dancer. Sakat even worked in tamasha, as a dancer and as a maushi, to finance his education, until he graduated.

Sakat recalled, "My father passed away when I was a child. My mother was a famous tamasha dancer, but did not see a future in it and wanted the four of us to pursue other careers." He added, "Once deputy municipal commissioner Meennath Dandote visited our village and he inspired me. I began performing in tamasha to raise money
for my education."

Nangare-Patil's speeches
In 2014 Sakat came to Pune and began to work as a waiter. He said, "I would watch motivational speeches of IPS officer Vishwas Nangare-Patil. A few regular customers in the hotel, Prashant Zarkar, Mahesh Pawarje and Yogesh Mate, helped me. They provided books and sponsored my coaching class fees. I worked at night and in the morning, I would study or practice with physical trainer Vijay Ghadge."

Name in merit list
Sakat's determination ultimately paid off. He added, "I had not cleared MPSC for four years. I worked hard so that my mother could see me succeed but in 2016 she died. I was depressed and Nangare-Patil's speeches motivated me. I studied harder. On Tuesday, I was pleasantly surprised to see my name in the merit list in the first 70 in open category. I will work hard and serve society."

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