Sons of vegetable vendor, fruit seller bag corporate jobs

VADODARA: A couple of years ago, Nilesh Jitiya from a village in Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar district, could not even afford Rs 150 as school fees. Son of Nanjibhai, a fruit seller, 25-year-old Nilesh, has not only completed his MBA from city-based Parul University now, but has bagged a job of a business development manager at the International Institute of Management & Technical Studies in Ahmedabad.He will be taking home Rs 2.5 lakh per annum.
Like him, Denish Agrawal, too, supported his father Rupchandbhai, a vegetable vendor near Chhani jakatnaka in the city while pursuing his schooling. Denish will now work with German multinational Linde Engineering after completing his diploma in civil engineering and get Rs 2.16 lakh per annum as remuneration.
Nilesh and Denish were among the shining examples of students, who fought all odds to bag corporate jobs, as Parul University declared on Sunday the results of placement drives recently conducted on its campus.
"At times, I would join my father to sell fruits and earn some additional income for our family," said Nilesh. "I can now support the education of my younger brother and two sisters," he said.
"My parents toiled in farm as labourers to ensure that I completed my education in pharmacy," said Vikram Gohil, a native of Sarambhada village in Amreli district. With masters degree in pharmacy, he is now placed with Ranoli-based Vovantis Pharmaceuticals and earns Rs 1.5 lakh per annum.
"There are a number of students from middle-class and lower middle-class families, who have bagged good placements during the drives held for engineering, pharmacy and management students," said Parul University's vice-president Devanshu Patel.
Abhay Joshi, an electrical engineering student, has bagged the highest package of Rs 10 lakh per annum from Indian Navy.
"In the academic year 2014-15, 295 plus companies had visited our campus offering 790 plus jobs to our students," said Patel. While engineering students bagged an average of Rs three lakh per annum, pharmacy students bagged an average of Rs two lakh per annum package.
In management, the average salary package stood at Rs 2.6 lakh per annum while the higher package offered to a student touched Rs six lakh per annum.