Guardian of gates cracks JNU entrance code to study Russian

NEW DELHI: The day the results of the entrance exam of Jawaharlal Nehru University were coming out, Ramjal Meena spent a few hours in anxiety. As a guard, he wasn’t supposed to check his phone, but he couldn’t help it. Finally, he asked a student to go check the results. “He came back with the good news that I had passed the test for BA in Russian,” Meena said.
The 33-year-old took the happy tidings to his family in the evening. “I would wake up at 4am and study till 6am before dropping daughters and son to school. If I had a morning shift, I would go home and study for at least four hours; when I had a late night shift, I would find ways to look at my books and notes whenever I found time and a bright street lamp.”
Who inspires Meena? “Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin for his labour policies and the good he did for the working class and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the good work he is doing.”
Coming from Bhajera village in Karauli district of Rajasthan, Meena, though happy about his result, is worried about the future. “Though I have passed the exam, I am not sure what I will do. I will have to take care of my wife and children. Without a job I won’t be able to even send the customary 1,500 rupees to my father who had an eye surgery last year. JNU doesn’t allow students to work full time. But I hope to find a way to study and keep my job too,” Meena said.
However, if it boils down to choosing either work or study, Meena would choose the latter as it gives him joy.
A father of three, Meena is proud that his two daughters Sonia (Class IX) and Karishma (Class VII) have topped their classes this year. For the future of his children, he has requested an IIT graduate who stays in his locality, to devote an hour daily to teach his children.
Meena used to be a labourer earlier. Then he enrolled for BA in Hindi at Rajasthan University’s open learning programme. After graduating, he became a guard. Now, he dreams of a career in the civil services. “I took Russian because I was always interested in that country and how it has always had a good relationship with India. I hope I became and IFS officer someday,” he said.
His achievement has earned him praise from far and wide. “For days, students and guards alike have come to congratulate me and tell me how I have made the university proud. JNU is a great institution. I am happy to be a part of it,” he said.
Managing work and study was hard. His job as a guard requires him to take 30-minute rounds of the campus. “At night, I would find time to study while also keeping an eye on the campus. The Ring Road has been illuminated well, which has helped me a lot,” Meena said.