Sheikh Abdul Halim spent about half of his month’s earnings on travelling from Patharpratima in South 24-Parganas to Calcutta so that his son could take the JEE (Main) exam on Friday.

Halim, a tailor by profession in Metiabruz, had been earning Rs 8,000 a month till March. But the pandemic has taken away that source of income from him but not the spirit to fight and live.

Skipping the exam was not an option for Halim’s son Sahil Ansari and they reached the city in a vehicle with a neighbour from the Digampur area in Patharpratima, even if it meant taking a loan for the travel.

“There is no work for three months now.... I might be called back in September but I cannot say for sure,” Halim said. “In between there was some work… but that, too, is gone now.”

Halim has to now depend on odd jobs like working in a farm or fishing to make ends meet.

Before the lockdown, he worked for six days a week in Metiabruz and returned to Patharpratima for a day with his sons and wife.

Halim dropped out of school after Class VIII but he hopes that his son does not have to do that. “When I was growing up we did not get that kind of support to continue with our studies... giving up and starting to work was an easy option.”

But he now understands “the value of studies”. “Even for a few thousands I have to take a loan… at least I am trying for my son… we don’t know what fate has in store for him.”

Sahil scored 83 per cent in Higher Secondary.

“The only target is to get admission to a government college where expenses will not be that high,” Halim said.

Sahil had the exam in the second half, after which he and his father returned to their village in South 24-Parganas.

“Travelling by bus would have been cheaper but risky during the pandemic... the next exam is the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and I don’t want him to fall sick before that,” Halim said.