Some stories serve as admirable examples of hope and courage. Despite the cruel blows of fate, their will is neither broken nor their resolve to fight for a better living.
One such story is of “Archana Sutar”, who hails from Mumbai and works with the Blue-Dart courier delivering team at Borivali. She is the only woman in the team of 40-45 staff.
A native of Kolhapur, Archana did her schooling from Chogle High School (Krishna Nagar, Borivali East) in Marathi Medium. She had a keen interest in education and wanted to pursue her graduation but fate had other plans. Owing to poor financial situation she couldn’t pursue her studies and was soon married by her family.
A mother of two, Archana was somehow managing the house along with her husband who works in a furniture: shop. She was determined to support her children’s education. and wanted them to be well educated for better perspectives unlike her. However, as the cost of education and living kept increasing it was becoming hard for the family to support it.
Desperate to make things better and support her children’s education, she scouted for various jobs and finally landed one with Blue-Dart as a courier delivery girl. It was hard and very unheard of and hence, faced resistance from the family and extended relatives itself and acceptance. Initially not only it took a physical toll but also affected her mentally, given the taboos of the society.
With the covid-19 situation aggravating and people losing their source of incomes, she was very sure about this job and left no stone unturned. Working during covid times had its own challenges, besides the ones posed by the very nature of the job.
However, she feels that it was the need of the hour and her true calling to help support her children and contribute towards better living.
Interacting with the team of Café Social, she said that she feels fortunate and thanks the team of Blue-Dart who in her and gave her belief in this job as an exception.
She said, “There are 40-45 staff in the office. I’m from the Borivali Team. I am the only lady in my team and all my teammates and seniors are very helpful. They do not burden me with heavy deliveries, instead have given me a fixed area of “Siddharth Nagar (which is in Borivali itself) for delivery”.
She will be completing 2 years with Blue-Dart this October (2021) and feels more comfortable. in her job. She is often seen delivering couriers in the neighbouring apartments like “Ekta Meadow”.
Speaking about the job, she added that, “I do this job with full interest. My shift starts from 7:30 AM till 3.30 PM and sometimes it extends to 6 PM as per work-load. Frankly speaking, I do not feel the pressure of the workload, instead feel happy at the end of each day delivering couriers to d people and seeing how delighted they are receiving it. People know me in this area now and encourage me with words of appreciation, which feels really good.
A mother of a girl and a boy she takes pride in working towards shaping their careers by providing for their education. Her Daughter is pursuing a course in Travel & Tourism (in Marathi Medium) from college while her son is in 12th Standard (Marathi Medium).
People like Archana are a reminder of how courage, hard work, and hope can change destiny. It is easier to give up and difficult to rise, but every rise from a fall is always beautiful, enriching, and more rewarding. These stories are really a great source of Inspiration for all.
Café Social will continue to bring such true stories of grit and perseverance who have dared to dream big and worked hard to change their destiny.
