India, Oct. 1 -- Khamgaon, Shevgaon tehsil, Ahilyanagar; teacher I had been trying to get through the teacher recruitment examinations since 2017; I missed by just one mark in 2022. As a general category candidate, I scored 106 marks while the cut-off was 107. Had I been in the OBC category, I would have been selected in 2022, where the cut-off is a difference of four marks. I would have been ahead in my profession by four years already. I was able to get my Kunbi certificate in 2024-25 after Jarange-Patil's protest and was selected as a teacher last year in a Nashik district council school. If I had remained in the open category, I would not have secured the post in Nashik opting instead for far-off districts such as Bhandara or Gondia, which are more than 600 km from my village in Ahilyanagar. My family and I are thankful to Manoj dada - it is because of him that the process of obtaining OBC certificates became easier and our family's financial status has also improved. Before Jarange-Patil's agitation, officials and employees in government offices would not cooperate in issuing Kunbi certificates. Failing to make the mark in the general category and my advancing age was giving me sleepless nights. Now, as I have an age extension, I can plan for higher posts such as extension officer, education officer and centre chief in Class-I positions. People from the Maratha community ask me about the comparison between OBC, SEBC and EWS quotas, which the Maratha community has benefited from at various points in time. I would say OBC is the best option because it has constitutional protection. The SEBC quota has been challenged in court and has a sword hanging over it....