NEW DELHI, Jan 3 (Agencies): A man in Punjab with a PhD and four master’s degrees is selling vegetables to make both ends meet.
Dr Sandeep Singh said he taught at a Punjabi University for over a decade but quit due to financial constraints.
“I taught at Punjabi University – five years on a JRF (junior research fellowship) and seven years as a guest faculty. In June this year, I quit teaching as it became difficult for me and my family to survive on that salary,” said Sandeep Singh.
As per Sandeep Singh, the salary by the university was very low and not given on time either.
Sandeep Singh now runs a vegetable cart with a board saying ‘PhD Sabzi Wala’.
“We follow Guru Nanak Dev’s teachings and won’t beg before anyone. I will keep doing my work,” he said.
“I go to the mandi in the morning to buy vegetables. By evening, I get free after selling the vegetables. After that, I teach my child and then do my own studies,” said Sandeep Singh, who is currently pursuing B.Lib (Bachelor of Library and Information Sciences) from Lovely Professional University.
Despite the hardships, Sandeep Singh said he wants to continue teaching children in the future and hopes to open his coaching centre .
“From the very beginning, I wanted to be a teacher. No one can stop me from fulfilling my dreams. I can’t rely on the government to make my dreams come true. It doesn’t matter if the university did not give me a (permanent) job,” he said.