Bhubaneswar: Once a sweeper at one of the branches of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Mumbai, a woman has covered a long journey of 37 years to become the Assistant General Manager of the financial institution. We are talking about Pratiksha Tondwalkar who had been through various hardships to reach the position.
Born in Pune in 1964 to poor parents, she had to give her secondary school education and was married off at the age of 16 to Sadashiv Kadu, a book binder working at SBI in Mumbai. Barely four years after their marriage, Kadu died in an accident leaving behind Pratiksha and their son.
Pratiksha asked the bank to help with a job and started working as a sweeper at a salary of Rs 60-65 a month. She worked other menial jobs and took care of her son. Watching the bank officials daily, she decided to try for a banking job but it required minimum qualification of 10+2.
She started working hard to achieve her dream. Friends and relatives helped her out with getting books and she cleared her Class 10th exams. She enrolled in a night college in Mumbai’s Vikhroli, passed Class 12, and went on to major in Psychology at another night college in 1995. Following it, she was promoted to the position of clerk.
In 1993, she decided to marry Pramod Tondwalkar, a bank messenger who encouraged her to take the banking exam. She was elevated to trainee officer in 2004 and gradually rose through many positions for the next 18 years. She finally became Assistant General Manager of SBI in June. She is going to retire in about two years.
