Maharashtra: Farmer's Daughter Sujata Madke Appointed As A Scientist In ISRO

Thane: Noted scientist and former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam asked children to dream big and pursue their dreams. Sujata Ramchandra Madke, daughter of a farmer and hails from Shahapur in the Thane district, kept this in mind and through sheer hard work, became a scientist in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Sujata was born in Shirgoan village, which is 15 kilometers from Shahapur. She completed her primary education, till the seventh standard, from a Zilla Parishad school. Sujata's grandfather Jiva Madke and her father Ramchandra Dake, also studied at the same school, which started way back in 1936.

Ramchandra managed to study only till the 10th class and worked as a clerk in Thane Zilla Parishad. He also continued to farm and in this way raised his three daughters and a son. Sujata's sisters and brother are employed in private firms. Sujata resigned from the Thane Regional Transport Officer (RTO) where she was working for two years and joined ISRO as a scientist in Bengaluru since May 27.

Sujata Madke at a ISRO centre (ETV Bharat)

Ramchandra told ETV Bharat, "Sujata first went to Hyderabad to study and got a job in RTO. While working in the RTO, she desired to become a scientist and took a lot of effort. I am proud that now she will be able to serve the country. She used several books to study."

Her mother Savita said, "Sujata always had a desire to become a scientist and she liked arts as a hobby. I feel proud that she was able to turn her dreams into a reality."

Her sister Chetna Amit Sonawane, who has witnessed her inspiring journey, said Sujata got a reward for studying 8 to 12 hours on a regular basis. "Among siblings, Sujata was bright since childhood and hence she got a job in ISRO."

After her primary education, she studied at G V Khade School in Shahapur and got 94.91 per cent in Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations. She scored 77.50 per cent in HSC examinations. She then completed B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere, Raigad. She worked as a research engineer in IIT Kharagpur under the virtual lab project of the Ministry of Education. She was also selected as an assistant engineer in MAHAGENCO.