Gautam Padibhar: Sakhubai Padibhar never went to school, but she understood the importance of education. She worked as a daily-wage labourer in her village and later as a ragpicker in a Mumbai slum to provide for her family. Despite financial hardships, hunger and sleepless nights, Sakhubai remained determined to ensure that her children could continue their education. She also faced an accident and health challenges but continued working to support her family.
Her sacrifices played an important role in the journey of her son, Gautam Padibhar, who went on to study at IIT Madras and later joined the Indian Forest Service.
Gautam studied at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Jalna, Maharashtra. He cleared the JEE without formal coaching and secured admission to IIT Madras, where he completed his BTech.
His journey did not end with engineering. Gautam later appeared for the UPSC Indian Forest Service Examination 2022 and secured All India Rank 139. He joined the Indian Forest Service as part of the 2023 batch of the Chhattisgarh cadre and currently serves as Director of Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh.
Gautam recently shared an emotional moment involving his mother on Instagram. Sakhubai visited his office and sat in his official chair.
Reflecting on his journey, Gautam said his mother gave him "the spirit to fight, the drive to work harder, and the freedom to dream big."
For him, the chair symbolised years of his mother's sacrifice. He described the achievement as hers "first and foremost", making the moment a tribute to the woman who made his dreams possible.
