She swept Pune’s streets at night and studied at crematorium, now pursues master’s at SPPU

PUNE: Classes in the morning, sweeping streets at night, and on off days, 25-year-old Reshma Pathan would turn to a quiet crematorium to study. As she pursues a master’s in public health at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), she is determined to understand the challenges slum communities face and change the circumstances her family has lived in.Kothrud’s Sainath Vasahat slum is her home. Finances are hard to come by here, but harder are privacy and some quiet. “Houses are small, roofs often made of tin sheets. We can hear each other’s conversations; it is that close. Almost every day, DJ speakers make blaring noise for some celebration, political function or something else. From arguments between neighbours, and children shouting while playing, to drunken brawls, everything happens on the narrow opening of a street between rows of houses,” said Reshma.For her even the act of thinking in silence is a luxury.So for uninterrupted study sessions, Reshma found an unlikely refuge: a crematorium. “It has a large open space and benches. I go on Sunday or after college. It is quiet there,” she said.“During Covid 19, my father, Jahangir Pathan, an auto rickshaw driver, started plying people for free.,” she said. Jahangir had connected with a local NGO and got calls from across the city; calls he never refused.With the sole breadwinner devoting most of his time to social service, the family suffered financially. “During Covid, I joined the PMC as a street sweeper in Jai Bhawani nagar. I would complete my BSc classes in the morning and work during the night shift,” Reshma said.She completed her BSc in Microbiology in 2023 with a first-class degree. But further education remained out of reach for two years.This year, she joined SPPU. Growing up in a slum, she had seen how inadequate living conditions affect people’s health. But her return to education has come at a difficult time. “Three months ago, I had to quit work as a sweeper after PMC stopped allowing night shifts for women workers. Now I am looking for a part-time job because the one-year fee for the course is about Rs 50,000,” she said.“I don’t understand how in such dense neighbourhoods, there is always space, money and resources for DJs, functions and celebrations, but there is not a single quiet corner for students who want to study,” she sighs.