Jharkhand Woman Leaves Banking Aspirations Behind, Clears NET To Become Professor – News18

Being a Professor is an honourable work and profession, but it can take many years to fulfil the eligibility or requirements of this post. You need to complete a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, pursue PhD, complete your thesis etc. A woman from the Palamu district, Jharkhand, named Bhavana Singh recently became an assistant professor at a young age. Bhavana has been selected by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission. She has been appointed as an Assistant Professor of History at Nilamber Pitamber University of Palamu. Bhavana initially aspired to work in a bank. She went to Patna, Bihar as well for her preparation regarding the banking exams in 2013. Bhavana, however, soon became disinterested in her career choice. How did she pursue and realise her aspiration to become a professor? This space articulates the answer to this question. She talked about her journey in an interview with Local 18.

Bhavana Singh is the daughter of a former army officer named Vinod Singh, a resident of Medininagar city, Jharkhand. Her father currently runs a dairy farm, where he takes care of over 5 to 7 cows. Her mother Sangeeta Singh is a homemaker. Bhavana said that she completed her primary education in Palamu only. Then she passed matriculation from Bright Land School in Medininagar city. She cleared her intermediate studies from the DAV School. It was after this stage she started preparing for the banking exams. “But, I didn’t feel like it,” she said.

Bhavana said that during this time she had doubts about her career choices. Meanwhile, in 2018, she enrolled in a Post-Graduate course in History at Patna University. “During this time, college professor Mohammed Ismail told me about the NET (National Eligibility Test) exam; and from here on, I aspired to become a professor.”

Bhavana said that many tried to demotivate her saying that no one can become a professor at such a young age. They also tried to ridicule her, but Bhavana kept preparing for the NET exam. She also fell ill while preparing for the exam and couldn’t clear it in the first attempt. She again attempted the exam and managed to clear it in the second attempt. Bhavana said that after passing NET, she wanted to do a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). She also wanted to crack JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) for financial help. She managed to secure it on the fourth attempt. She is now pursuing her PhD in History from Patna University.

Bhavana also worked as a guest faculty in one of the top women’s colleges of North Zone. “I will apply the skills and management learned there in Palamu. The children here have a lot of potential”, she said.