THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi/Solapur, Oct 26: IAS officer Ramesh Gholap, a native of Mahagaon village in Maharashtra’s Solapur district, has once again shown that public service is most meaningful when it comes from the heart. This Diwali, the Jharkhand-cadre officer donated three months of his salary — ₹5 lakh — to 30 farming families whose lives and livelihoods were devastated by heavy monsoon rains.
At a small function in his home village under Barshi block, Gholap distributed ₹10,000 each to families whose crops and homes were destroyed. Earlier, he had contributed ₹1 lakh each to two families of farmers who had taken their own lives, earmarking the funds for the education of their children.
One such act was inspired by a video that deeply moved him. In it, a young girl wept for her father, a farmer who had ended his life after losing his crops to flooding. Through tears, she said her dream of becoming a police officer had died with him. “I could easily connect my past with hers,” Gholap said. “When you are in financial trouble, no one responds to your call — not even close relatives. I wanted her to know that someone cared and that her dream still mattered.” Gholap personally ensured that ₹1 lakh was set aside to support the girl’s education so she could pursue her goal of joining the police.
“Considering the damage caused to crops and homes due to excessive rainfall, I reaffirmed my commitment to stand by our farmer brothers and sisters,” he said. “This is not merely financial help, but a small effort to light a lamp of hope in their lives.”
Roots That Run Deep
Gholap’s journey from poverty to public service has long inspired others. Born in Mahagaon and affected by polio in childhood, he grew up helping his mother sell bangles after his father’s bicycle repair business failed. Against all odds, he studied by lantern light, became a teacher to support his family, and later cleared the UPSC exam in 2012 — becoming the only IAS officer from Barshi block.
Now serving as Special Secretary in Jharkhand’s Drinking Water and Sanitation Department and Mission Director of Jal Jeevan Mission, he continues to draw strength from his humble beginnings.
Solapur’s Struggle with Rain and Ruin
Solapur’s largely dry region depends on cash crops like soybean, pulses, and sugarcane. But erratic monsoon patterns this year brought destructive floods: 448 villages were affected, 1.8 lakh farmers suffered losses, and hundreds of homes were damaged. Standing crops rotted in waterlogged fields, leaving many families with debt and despair.
Lighting Hope This Diwali
For Gholap, returning home to extend help was both symbolic and deeply personal. “It’s a small effort to motivate others who have excelled in education and settled elsewhere to care for their homeland,” he said.
His gesture may not undo the devastation, but it has reignited hope across Barshi and beyond — a powerful reminder that true success lies not in rising above hardship, but in reaching back to lift others from it.
