DHARWAD: A job is a job only when it is a government job. Everyone looks for one.

Dawalatraya Gouda (26) from Raichur is no exception. He is a Master of Arts. For the last five years, he has been waiting for a government job while getting coached to crack the tests in Dharwad. He says government has not issued any notifications for recruitments.

“My parents are farm labourers. They sold the oxen for Rs 48,000 to meet my education and other expenses. No parent says that they are selling something for the future of their children.”

Bored, frustrated and aggrieved Gouda works at a shop when is free from his main occupation—waiting for government jobs.

“We do not get a chance to prove our talent. It is also difficult to return to the village with empty hands,” Gouda explained his predicament.

Narayan Rao is another aspirant. He has a sister of marriageable age. The family has been putting off her marriage since they think Rao might need financial support to secure a government job. Rao says it is the job of politicians to get him a government job.

Wasim Tahasildar, another of Rao’s and Gouda’s ilk, is waiting for a job in revenue department. He is angry. “We are trying. We are unable to ask for money from our parents. Apart from studying, we have nothing to do. How long we can live in hope? Many of our seniors can’t even get married because they are jobless,” he said.

Srinivas Patil (26) from Sankeshwar says he wants to return to the fields. Yet he prays that government calls for applications so that he can at least have a go. All his savings have been spent on getting coached for government tests.

Life, as they say, is tough.

This story has been written by Mallikarjun Hiremath of The New Indian Express.