‘How I Went From Selling Vegetables in a Small Village To Becoming a Chartered Accountant'

At 5:30 am, Nadarpur is already stirring.
The village roads carry the dampness of early-morning dew, and the air smells of soil and fresh produce. For Sudarshan Nikam, that hour once meant movement. A brisk walk to the main market. Fresh vegetables bought before the sun climbed higher. Coins counted carefully. A wooden stall stacked, crate by crate.

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He was 10 years old then, running between sellers and sacks of produce, learning the rhythm of the bazaar long before he understood what the word “career” could mean.

“I used to wake up at 5.30 every morning and rush to the main market to buy fresh vegetables,” he tells The Better India.

“From morning till evening, I helped my parents at the shop. Back then, success simply meant earning money. Even Rs 10,000 felt like the biggest achievement.”

Sudarshan comes from Nadarpur, a small village in Maharashtra’s Kannad taluka of Sambhaji Nagar district, where life follows the rhythm of farms and weekly bazaars, not traffic signals or office clocks.

Mumbai, at the time, felt like a distant idea. A city meant for “big people”, far removed from his everyday reality. He never imagined he would one day belong there.

Today, at 26, Sudarshan stands in Mumbai as a newly qualified Chartered Accountant. His days now revolve around balance sheets, audits, and a profession he once did not even know existed.

The distance between these two lives was covered slowly. Dawn hours in the village market. Nights spent with textbooks. A steady determination that stayed with him even when the path ahead felt unclear.

‘What do you want to become when you grow up?’

As a child, Sudarshan never held on to one dream for very long.

“Whenever someone asked what I wanted to be, I just copied my friends,” he says. “Some days I said ‘policeman’, other days ‘doctor’. Once, very casually, I even said ‘CA’. I had no idea that would actually become my reality.”

At that age, the answers came without weight. They were words borrowed for the moment, not plans for the future.

As Sudarshan grew older, they began to matter. School choices slowly shaped what lay ahead, and the idea of a career moved from something distant to something he would have to decide for himself.

Through these years of uncertainty, one thing remained steady. His family’s belief in education.

Sudarshan is the youngest of three siblings. His elder brother and sister are now married and settled. His parents, who never had the chance to complete their own schooling, were clear about one thing. Their children would have opportunities they never did.

Those choices and sacrifices held Sudarshan steady, even when he did not yet know where he was headed.

A family that carried the load together

The vegetable shop never belonged to one person. It belonged to the whole family.

Each day began early and ended late. Everyone moved in sync to keep things running. Work came first, but school was never pushed aside. “I would leave for the market early in the morning while my mother prepared our tiffins for school,” Sudarshan recalls.

Festivals brought more customers, not rest. On those days, the shop grew busier, leaving little time to celebrate together. Yet, none of the children ever missed school. Education remained the one constant the family protected, no matter how demanding the day became.

During these years, Sudarshan’s elder brother, Gorakh, began to see possibilities beyond the village market. A postgraduate in MCom, he went on to work at a finance company in Mumbai. Watching his brother step into the corporate world slowly expanded Sudarshan’s understanding of what could lie ahead.

While Sudarshan felt content earning Rs 10,000 at the shop, it was Gorakh’s steady guidance and belief that encouraged him to aim higher.

“It’s every parent’s wish to see their children shine in their careers,” says Gorakh. “Even when money was tight, our father did everything he could to support our education and help us reach respectable positions.”

Gorakh speaks with pride about Sudarshan’s discipline. “For seven years, he dedicated himself completely. He woke up at 6 am, studied till 11 pm in the library, attended online coaching, went through notes and books, and still helped our father at the shop. His discipline was remarkable.”

Those years at the shop shaped more than Sudarshan’s work ethic. They built a family rhythm where effort, sacrifice, and ambition were shared every day.

Standing at a crossroads

After Class 10, Sudarshan chose Science in Class 12, hoping to become a doctor.

He worked hard, but when the results came in, they fell short of his expectations. “I was heartbroken,” he says. “But my brother became my biggest support. He encouraged me to consider CA.”

Alongside disappointment came a practical reality the family had to face. A medical degree was far too expensive for them.

With his family standing firmly behind him, Sudarshan began to imagine a different future. He completed his BCom in 2019 and later took admission at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Even before formally enrolling, he had started preparing for the CA exams in 2017, balancing his ambitions alongside his academic journey.

His brother arranged the fees and enrolled him in coaching classes to help him transition into commerce.

The shift demanded patience, especially for someone coming from a Science background. It became possible through trust, reassurance, and a family that believed he would find his way.

Taking it one day at a time

The years that followed tested Sudarshan’s patience in unfamiliar ways.

He cleared the Common Proficiency Test on his third attempt. Most days were spent at the library, studying for 10 to 12 hours, attending online coaching sessions, and working through notes and textbooks page by page.

Progress came gradually, and doubt often followed effort. What carried him forward was the routine he built around his studies and the people who noticed when he needed encouragement.

During this phase, support came from an unexpected place.

At the library, Sudarshan met Shalaka, who was preparing for her own exams. Despite her schedule, she checked on him, brought him food, and offered reassurance on difficult days.

“Whatever the situation, he never gave up,” Shalaka tells The Better India. “He has a way of turning things around with a positive outlook. He’s faced many lows and uncertainties, yet he always held himself with strength.”

Clearing CA Intermediate brought new challenges. His mother took a personal loan to pay for his coaching fees and reminded him to keep moving forward, even when the road ahead felt long.

Soon after, preparation moved from books to practice.

Learning outside textbooks and classrooms

After clearing CA Intermediate, Sudarshan moved to Pune for his articleship.

The shift from preparation to practice came with long days and steep learning curves. “I practically lived in my office for one and a half years,” he recalls. “There was nowhere else to go. I would get ready before 8 am so everyone thought I was coming early and leaving late.”

The routine left little room for rest.

“I’ve slept there and washed my clothes there,” he adds. “Those years showed me a side of life that taught me more than any textbook ever could.”

The experience pushed him to take responsibility early and understand what the profession demanded beyond exams. It shaped how he worked, managed time, and carried himself in unfamiliar spaces.

By the time his articleship ended, Sudarshan had gained something that could not be measured on paper. Confidence built through experience, and a clearer sense of direction.

Life looks different now

When Sudarshan moved to Mumbai in June 2025, his purpose was clear.

He did not arrive chasing the city’s promise. He arrived carrying a commitment shaped years earlier in the village market. A commitment to give his parents the life they had once only hoped for.

In September 2025, that effort came together when he cleared his CA finals.

“My hands were shaking while checking the result,” he recalls. “For a few moments, I couldn’t even breathe properly. When I saw ‘PASS’, I refreshed the page twice just to be sure. Only then did it sink in that it was real.”

The moment belonged to his family.

His elder brother laughed, saying he had always known this day would come. His mother, working in the fields at the time, said simply, “The universe has listened.” And his father’s words, “Now I am at peace,” carried years of sacrifice and patience.

“My parents have always been my biggest motivation,” says Sudarshan. “If I’m here today, it’s because they never stopped believing in me.”

Today, Sudarshan is a newly qualified Chartered Accountant, looking for opportunities in Mumbai’s corporate world. He plans to join a good firm, start his own CA practice someday, and eventually complete his CFA.

Back in Nadarpur, life has eased for his parents. They no longer sell vegetables. Their days now pass with light farm work and a pace they once could not afford.

The same people who once questioned what their sons would become now speak with pride about both Sudarshan and his elder brother.

For their father, Krishna Nikam, the journey holds deep meaning.

“I worked hard, but Sudarshan has given me this reward,” he says. “When I got married, my only dream was that at least one of my children would become a CA. Today, all my children are well settled and independent, and my heart is full.”

Sudarshan’s hopes remain rooted where they always were. “I want to work hard and build a house for my parents,” he says. “I know I can do it now.”

All images courtesy Sudarshan Nikam