Bhakti Chalak

Shagufta Shaikh has overcome formidable challenges to carve out a successful career in public service. Hailing from the small village of Terkheda in Maharashtra’s Dharashiv district, she grew up in a family that struggled financially. Her father is a truck driver and her mother a farm labourer. Adding to her difficulties was opposition from sections of her community to girls pursuing higher education.

Today, Shagufta has emerged as an inspiration, having cleared six consecutive government recruitment examinations and secured selection for several posts.

Determined to join the administrative services, she gave up a promising IT job at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to prepare for competitive examinations. She has now been selected for the prestigious post of Tax Assessment and Administrative Officer.

Speaking to Awaz-The Voice, Shagufta recounted her arduous journey, marked by financial hardship, repeated setbacks, depression and, ultimately, remarkable perseverance.

Growing up with an elder sister and two younger brothers, Shagufta witnessed poverty at close quarters. She completed her Class 10 education at the village school before moving to Dharashiv for her higher secondary education in Science.

She subsequently pursued a degree in Computer Science engineering in Latur, financing her education through a loan.

Her hard work paid off when she secured a campus placement at TCS. However, her ambition to join the administrative services soon prompted her to reconsider her career. After working in the corporate sector for seven months, she quit her job and began preparing full-time for competitive examinations.

Setbacks, depression and a second chance

Shagufta moved to Pune to prepare for the state civil services examinations. Although she cleared the preliminary examination in her first three attempts, she repeatedly failed to make it through the mains.

The successive disappointments took a severe toll on her mental health, plunging her into depression. It took her nearly a year and a half to recover.

By then, her savings had been exhausted, but she was unwilling to abandon her dream. To meet her living and study expenses in Pune, she took up work as a proof-editor and content writer with a publication specialising in competitive examination books. One of the books she worked on reportedly sold as many as one lakh copies.

Once she recovered, Shagufta returned to her preparations with renewed determination. She applied for all the recruitment examinations announced in 2023, and over the next two years, her persistence began to pay off. She achieved consecutive success in six examinations.

Her first breakthrough came with her selection as a Canal Inspector in the Water Resources Department. She was also selected for five other positions: Junior Assistant in Ratnagiri Zilla Parishad, Assistant in Mantralaya, Revenue Assistant in the Latur Agriculture Directorate, Tax Assistant in the Mumbai GST Department and Assistant in Pune Zilla Parishad.

Shagufta joined as a Canal Inspector and served in Beed district for two years. She voluntarily gave up the other five positions, allowing other eligible candidates an opportunity to take up those jobs.

Battling social barriers

For Shagufta, pursuing higher education as a Muslim woman brought challenges beyond financial hardship. She had to navigate social expectations and restrictions on women's education and mobility.

Recalling those experiences, she said that getting an education and moving ahead in life as a woman from a Muslim family could involve a very different kind of struggle. She admitted that, at one point, she felt apprehensive about stepping out of her home without wearing a burqa.

She also encountered unsolicited advice and criticism from people around her. If her dupatta slipped from her head, some would advise her family to get her married. Others accused her parents of spoiling her by allowing her to pursue her ambitions.

Despite these pressures, Shagufta remained steadfast. Although her parents could not provide much financial assistance, they stood by her emotionally and morally, giving her the encouragement she needed to continue.

Reflecting on the challenges Muslim girls still face in pursuing higher education, Shagufta has an earnest message for parents: they should not press their daughters into marriage before they have had an opportunity to become financially independent.

She also urged women to remain mindful of their responsibilities towards their families and to avoid actions that could undermine their family's dignity.

A new chapter in public service

After the results ofr the Pune Zilla Parishad recruitment were announced, Shagufta resigned from her position as Canal Inspector and joined as an Assistant in the Pune Zilla Parishad.

Now, her selection as a Tax Assessment and Administrative Officer has opened a new chapter in her career. She is expected to resign from her current post in the coming week and assume her new responsibilities.

For a young woman who began her journey in a village where financial constraints and social opposition threatened to limit her ambitions, the achievement represents a significant milestone.

Shagufta says she would discharge her duties with honesty and dedication, ensuring that her work does justice to the position she has earned and brings honour to it.

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For disheartened youths, Shagufta's journey brings new hope. Instead of breaking down during failure, Shagufta Shaikh is a perfect example of how to prove oneself again and soar high