Request for financial assistance to become a Pilot

My name is Seelam Veda Samhitha, a passionate aspiring pilot from Andhra Pradesh, India. I am writing to seek your esteemed organization's support in realizing my dream of becoming a professional pilot.

My Family’s Financial Situation

My father works as an underpaid painter, earning barely enough to cover our daily expenses. We live in a rented house and own no assets or properties. We are burdened with ₹10 lakhs of debt, which we are repaying slowly in small amounts.

To pay for my graduation, my father had to take loans from a local management group that charges ₹5 interest per ₹100 every six months. He borrowed repeatedly to cover my fees, and even now, he is still repaying those loans. Despite these financial constraints, my father has done everything to support my education and my dream.

I come from a humble background. My father, a painter by profession, earns a modest income that barely covers our basic needs. Despite his unwavering support for my dreams, he does not have the means to fund my pilot training.

To make ends meet and pursue this dream, my father has approached numerous sources for financial help, including politicians, charitable trusts, NRIs, and other benefactors. Despite his tireless efforts, none of these attempts have been successful. In fact, my father, with the burden of ensuring my education, has had to humble himself even to the point of seeking help from strangers. I've also applied to many scholarship and reached out to so many trusts pouring my heart out to them but there's no response and no help from any of them. 

We have tried applying for loans from various banks, offering our one-acre agricultural land, as collateral. Unfortunately, banks have repeatedly denied these applications, citing the need for urban properties as collateral.

Additionally, we are victims of the AgriGold scam, where my father, as an agent, had brought in many relatives and villagers who invested in the scheme. When the scam surfaced, my father sold our family home to repay some of the affected people, leaving us financially drained and socially ostracized.

The AgriGold Scam: A Tragic Turning Point

Our financial struggles were further compounded by the AgriGold scam, which devastated millions of families, including ours. My father was an agent for AgriGold and brought many relatives and villagers into the scheme, believing it was a secure investment. When the scam unraveled, and the company collapsed, my father was held responsible for the losses of others.

Our community turned against us, and my father, driven by his sense of duty, sold our family house to repay some of the victims. The very people he tried to help shamed and ostracized him, leaving us homeless and deeply in debt. It has been nearly a decade since he attended any family functions or visited relatives, fearing humiliation and ridicule.

Despite this betrayal, my father’s resilience and integrity have been unwavering. He has faced relentless emotional and financial pain, but he never gave up on his dream of seeing me succeed and restoring our family’s honor.

The Sale of Our House

Our hardships have been further compounded by the AgriGold scam, in which my father, as an agent, brought many villagers and relatives into the scheme. When the scam was exposed, my father sold our own house to repay some of the victims. The house we lived in for years, the place that held memories of our family’s hard work, was sold at a price far below its value. My father sold it not for his own benefit, but to repay others because of his good heart and sense of responsibility. He did this despite the emotional toll it took on him, knowing that this would leave us without a roof of our own. This decision, though selfless, has left us with nothing but memories of a home we once had.

My Father’s Sacrifices and Struggles

I want to share with you the true depth of my father’s sacrifices, and why this opportunity to become a pilot is so crucial. My father works tirelessly every day, handling the most physically demanding jobs. He faces immense pressure and carries the burden of our family's survival, all while dealing with the emotional toll of being betrayed by his own kin. My father is 50 years old, and he is reaching a point where he can no longer work as he used to. He travels daily, enduring the scorching heat, rain, and winter, just to secure new work for our daily needs.

His life has been marked by unimaginable hardship. He hasn’t attended a single relative’s function in nearly 10 years because of the shame and isolation caused by the AgriGold scam. He fears being looked down upon, and he is deeply hurt by the way people treat him. His own sisters do not treat him as a brother because he is poor, yet he continues to look after them, despite their indifference to him.

My father doesn’t rest. He doesn't buy new clothes or even new footwear. He wears the same paint-splattered clothes and worn-out sandals every day, with no concern for his own comfort, because his only intention is to see me succeed. His sole focus is on helping me become a pilot, and he dreams of building a house in his father’s memory, a place where we can finally feel proud.

This dream of mine is not just about personal success—it’s about giving my father the chance to hold his head high in front of the relatives and villagers who once shamed him, and proving to him that all his sacrifices were not in vain. I want him to be able to stand tall and proudly say, “My daughter is a pilot.” I want him to regain the dignity he lost and have a home to call his own again, a home we lost because of the Agri Gold scam.

My Health Struggles and My Father’s Sacrifices

As if our financial difficulties weren’t enough, God decided to test us further. During my graduation years, I suffered from severe pain due to a dermoid cyst attached to my ovaries, which had been troubling me for 10 years. Despite my pain, I continued to study, but my condition worsened, and the doctor told us that the cyst had grown out of control and required immediate surgery. My father acted without hesitation and took a loan of ₹1 lakh from relatives to get me operated on. This became yet another huge financial burden, but he never let us see his worries.

Within six months of my surgery, tragedy struck again. My father met with an accident and suffered a broken and fractured hand. He had to undergo surgery, adding to our debts and struggles. To this day, his hand has not healed completely, and he suffers from constant pain. He cannot lift heavy weights, and the injury limits his ability to work efficiently. Despite our insistence to get it rechecked, he always tells us, “I will get everything fixed when I see you as a pilot.” His only focus is on helping me succeed, even at the cost of his own health.

The Cost of Pilot Training

The total cost of pilot training is approximately ₹75 lakhs, which includes the following:

Flight School Fees: ₹45,00,000 – This covers theoretical training, 200 hours of flying, and all examinations required for obtaining a Commercial Pilot License (CPL).

Type Rating Fees: ₹30,00,000 – Certification necessary to operate specific aircraft types and secure employment with an airline.

Why This Dream Matters

For me, becoming a pilot is more than just a career aspiration—it represents a way to honor my family’s sacrifices and lift us out of this cycle of financial hardship. My father has given everything for me, and this opportunity would be the ultimate reward for his unwavering belief in my potential.

Additionally, aviation has been my passion since childhood. It is a field that demands discipline, perseverance, and a sense of responsibility—qualities that I have cultivated over the years. If given the chance to complete my training, I am committed to excelling in this profession and inspiring others from underprivileged backgrounds to believe in their dreams, no matter the obstacles.

A Cry for Help

This letter is not just a request but a heartfelt cry for help from a family that has exhausted every possible resource. My father has sacrificed his dignity and endured countless rejections, all in the hope of securing a future for me. Your support could transform not only my life but also that of my family, giving us a chance to rebuild and thrive.

Facing Mockery and Societal Pressure

Wherever I go, people mock my dream of becoming a pilot, saying, “You can’t become a pilot because your family doesn’t have money.” Others have advised me to give up my dreams entirely, saying, “Marry a man who can take care of you, or better yet, end your life—what’s the use of living in such conditions?” These cruel remarks have only deepened my determination to succeed.

I refuse to let their taunts and negativity define my future. My dream is not just to become a pilot but to break free from these societal constraints and prove that no hardship is insurmountable when combined with resilience and hope.

My Request

While I would greatly appreciate a scholarship to help fund my education, I understand that this may not always be possible. If a scholarship cannot be provided, I humbly request that you consider offering a loan instead. We are willing to offer our agricultural land as collateral, even though it has not been accepted by the banks. Me and my family have exhausted every other option to secure funds for my pilot training. Please help me in any way possible.

I am fundraising for a cause close to my heart, to bring a lasting change in the lives of the underprivileged. To help me create more impact and touch more lives, I need your support and contribution. Please back my fundraiser so that together we can build a better India for all of us.

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