‘Rancho’ of Dewas gives up on engineering dream to become driver

Vishal Choudhary had always seen himself as some kind of a Rancho, the tech-savvy character in the movie 3 Idiots, played by Aamir Khan.

From a young age, the boy from Sannod village in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh had a penchant for things mechanical. Machines ignited his mind, so much so that when someone gifted him a remote control toy car, he had it immediately dismantled so that he could look inside and try and reassemble it once again.

His penchant for machines continues to date. He somehow laid his hands on an old Bajaj ‘Boxer’ motorcycle and dismantled it in no time.

His neighbours laughed, all the while jeering at what they thought was his craziness.

But undeterred, Vishal – now 19 – has not only reassembled it but upgraded it into a strange-looking contraption that serves as his four-wheeled car. 

With a current carrying capacity of two, the car, he says, when finally done will be able to carry five passengers. As of now, the car can notch up a speed of about 40 km per hour and gives a mileage of about 35 km per litre. 

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Will this ‘Rancho’ have a happy ending?

Not surprisingly, Vishal is proud of his engineering innovation. He drove his car to the examination center when he appeared for his 12 standard board examination two months ago. Now that his examinations are over, it’s normal to see him driving around the undulating plains of Dewas.

But it is unlikely that Vishal will end up as another Rancho. 

On the celluloid screen, Rancho had a rather happy ending. Besides getting back his lady love, he had become a much sought-after successful scientist with dozens of patents to his name.

In real life, on the contrary, Vishal of Dewas is on the verge of giving up on his dream. He is set to become a driver to make a living.

“We are economically weak. My father is a bus driver. I know my responsibilities and the choices I have are few,” lamented Vishal.

His sad story reflects the state that many youngsters find themselves in across India’s rural hinterland. Financially strapped and educational opportunities scarce, dreams often die young for many of them.

Dreaming big was part of Vishal’s growing-up years though. He, together with two of his friends, Nikhil and Atul, had also launched a YouTube channel called ‘Claimax Experiments’.

In their spare time and when the pressure to earn was not as compelling as it is today, they made videos of small scientific experiments they conducted and uploaded them on the channel. It included powering a tractor with an LPG cylinder and dropping an old television set from the top of a hillock to see what happens.

It cost them money and Vishal, like many of his friends, did part-time jobs such as the one in a courier company helped. 

Growing up and its hassles

But financial pressures have been mounting. His father is a driver while his mother is an Asha worker earning a paltry sum every month. The small patch of agricultural land the family owns is just good enough to feed them. 

Also Read | What technology does the poor need?

That the father is an alcoholic too has added to the family problems. There is never enough money at home. Vishal now has come to terms that he cannot pursue his passion anymore. 

“It is getting tough. It is tough to sustain a family with low collective income,” he said. “I will have to drive a dumper lorry. That is my future. I wish I had better opportunities,” he lamented.

His disappointment is shared by many like him. Sannod village has many rich farmers. But those who are not rich end up taking lowly jobs. Most are clerks or drivers. Vishal hopes to join their hopeless ranks. 

Clearly, Dewas is set to deal a crushing blow to another dream that only flattered to deceive.

The lead image at the top shows Vishal contemplating in his car named ’25’ (Photo by Pranay Tripathi)

Pranay Tripathi is an Indore-based upcoming filmmaker. He is a Rural Media Fellow 2022 at Youth Hub, Village Square.