Another inspiring chaiwallah story: How Raju Yadav beat the odds to become a web developer

On 1 April, 2015, 27 year-old Raju Yadav stepped up to walk into the familiar office at Shaadi.com where he was to start work as a web developer. His colleagues at the organization looked on with pride as Yadav strode in to take his seat amongst them because for almost a decade before that he was the errand boy fetching tea, refilling their water bottles, dropping cheques at the bank and doing other sundry jobs. How he went from being a chaiwallah to a web developer is a story that Yadav has not tired of recounting to the media. Familiar tale Yadav’s story has echoes of many who come to Mumbai in the hope of a job that will not only take care of them, but also support the impoverished families they leave behind. [caption id=“attachment_2187963” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “] Raju Yadav[/caption] Yadav hails from Jharkhand where his father is a farmer and mother, a home maker. He has two younger brothers. Though he had passed the Class VI exams in the village school, he could not study further. “We had debts. There was no hope of paying off the huge interest of around Rs 50,000 on the money we had borrowed,” he says. The then 14 year-old realized that there was no chance of earning a livelihood in the village and decided to head to Mumbai where his maternal uncle works as a taxi driver. “Luckily, my uncle had some friends in Chira Bazar (in South Mumbai) and I got a job as a chaiwallah with a tea stall vendor,” he says. From his second day in the city, Yadav was able to fend for himself as the new job provided for his lodgings and food, besides offering him a salary of Rs 2,000. “I saved money and send it home once every three months,” he says. Waking up at 5 am, his day would begin with cleaning the tea stall and then supplying tea to the workers who dropped in for their early morning cuppa. Later, when the shops and commercial organizations in the busy Chira Bazar area opened, Yadav trudged stairs and elevators balancing his crate of teas. Wasn’t that hard work? “Yes, but I did not see it like that. I had a job and money for my family,” he says. Opportunity comes knocking In a short span of six months, another door opened for Yadav. An organization that he supplied tea to called sagaai.com (now Shaadi.com) was looking for office assistants.  The company’s Founder, Anupam Mittal, asked him if he would be interested in working with them. The new job offered a 500-rupee hike and had fewer hours. It gave Yadav the time to pursue his dream of completing his matriculation. “When I came to Mumbai, I realised that education made a huge difference to how people work and live here. I wanted to complete my education. At Shaadi.com, I was hoping that I would be able to fulfil my dream,” shares Yadav. Thus began a 10-year journey of dedication, discipline and hard work. Noticing the youngster’s zeal to study, some of the staff members  in the organization encouraged him. Yadav cleared his Class X exams in his second attempt, securing 61 percent, and later cleared his Class XII exams too. Yadav toyed with the idea of learning web development. Shaadi.com provided him with the infrastructure and allowed him to stay in the office and take the course till 10 pm. After a full day’s work, he logged on to study the online course and when an opening came up at Shaadi.com,  applied for it and was selected. Yadav said he was disheartened that his brothers did not finish their schooling despite his telling them how it could transform their lives and they too have moved to Mumbai, where they presently do menial jobs. However, he has some reason for happiness. His parents are finally financially secure now. Yadav, who lives with his wife and son in a rented house in Mumbai, now has a new target. He has his sights set on completing his graduation.