Even in tragedy, this family will not give up on its dreams

Amar Solanke always wanted to be a policeman Ever since he completed his SSC Amar Solankersquos day used to begin with a 1600metre run at the local police grounds After that he used to go for his job as driver at the zilla parishad school in Amravati If he got a break Amar would study the books he always packed with him On February 21 as he was on the verge of realising his dreams Amar 24 collapsed after finishing his trials and diedAmar is one of the two people who have died so far in Mumbai from among the thousands who have arrived from all over the state for the recruitment drive for police jobsmdashmostly constables and driversmidday has reported about how these candidates have been forced to sleep rough and defecate in the open due to poor planning by authoritiesAmar SolankeAmarrsquos elder brother Aakash 26 told midday ldquoHe used to exercise for three hours He used to start his runs at 530 am sharp after which he practiced shot put He also completed a twoyear veterinary course and an agriculture course in organic farmingrdquolsquoNever complainedrsquoAakash said his brother shared a video from Kalina where he and thousands of other candidates were sleeping on the road and footpathldquoHe also posted the video on social media before his deathrdquo said Aakash ldquoHe was nonetheless very happy to get the opportunity and was very confident of getting selected He didnrsquot even complain about the lack of facilities He told us it was just for a day and that he would sleep on the road and do whatever it takes to achieve his childhood dreamrdquoAmar arrived in Mumbai on February 19 and checked into a hotel near Kalina The next day he checked out and reached the Mumbai University gate He spent the day on the road and slept on the footpath when night fell On February 21 Amar completed both testsndasha 1600metre run and shot put He called his family at around 11 am and told them he is going to a hotel at CSMTAlso Read Remember crooks can smell your desperationVomited and collapsedldquoHe went for a bath and started vomitingrdquo said Aakash ldquoWhen he came out after bathing he collapsed Our cousin rushed him to the local hospital where he was declared dead before admission The police called us and told us to come to Mumbai as Amar was not keeping well When I reached Mumbai the police showed me his dead body and told me that he had had a heart attackrdquoFamily of copsThe Solanke family which has a lot of policemen including Amarrsquos father Ashokrao said the authorities must take Amarrsquos case as a cautionary tale and improve basic facilities for the candidates considering it is common knowledge that thousands of young men and women from all over Maharashtra reach Mumbai for the selection process for a few hundred jobsldquoWater bedding and toilets should be basic at the test venuesrdquo said Aakash ldquoWe request the administration department of police recruitment to give basic facilities to all candidates who come to Mumbai from far away places to fulfill their dreams These candidates are the future of the police departmentrdquolsquoWersquoll do it for AmarrsquoDespite the tragedy Aakash and sister Anchal 22 have resolved to pursue their dreams of joining the police ranks ldquoIt is my dream alsordquo said Aakash who has been training since 2011 and appearing for exams without much success Last year hefell short of the cutoff by three marks ldquoI lost my brother but I will join the police department We donrsquot have any complaints with the department I am inspired by my father Ashokrao Solanke who was a constable in the Nashik policerdquo Their sister Aanchal said ldquoI am inspired by my grandfather Gulabrao Solanke who retired as a subinspector in 1998 I applied for the constablersquos exam in Yavatmal but lost out by two marks I will succeed one day Aakash and I will fulfill Amarrsquos dreamrdquo21 FebDay Amar Solanke passed away17 FebDay Ganesh Ugale lost his life3No of hours that Amar exercised dailylsquoHe has left me alone with both our dreamsrsquoMuch like the Solanke family Ganesh Ugale 26 and his cousin Mangesh Chaudhari AGE arrived in Mumbai on February 16 with dreams in their eyes Today only Mangesh survives Ganesh collapsed immediately after his test at the Kalina grounds on February 17 and was declared dead on arrival at the VN Desai Hospital The postmortem could not determine the cause ofdeath clearlyHailing from a family of farmers Ganesh and Mangesh slept at the home of an acquaintance before turning up for their physical test at 11 am on February 17 at the Kalina centreldquoSuddenly I could not find Ganeshrdquo Mangesh told midday ldquoWhen I asked the officers they said he collapsed and was admitted to the hospital When I finished my test a senior officer asked me to inform his family that he is unwell I informed his family and rushed to the hospital where doctors told me he is no more We both dreamed of becoming policemen We started this journey together but he has left me alone My only request now is that Ganeshrsquos family gets some financial help from governmentrdquolsquoHard to believe he died running 1600 mrsquoMilind SomanFitness model and actor Milind Soman told midday ldquoRunning 1600 metres is not a big deal for any youth and nobody dies because of running that distance Any youth who is running a marathon also runs at least three kilometres daily Itrsquos shocking that a 2526yearold candidate died after running 1600 metres I am not a doctor but as a fitness model I would say that there could be some other reasons behind candidates collapsing after running Running is good for health but 1600 metres is too short a distance and there are low chances of it having adverse effects on the runnerThe doctors who performed the postmortem should find out the exact cause of death of the candidates They should also find out whether the candidate was suffering from any disease or whether he was under any stress because of some reason But according to me no youth can die from running 1600 metresrdquo