Dalit girl from Anitha’s village to study medicine

Dalit girl from Anitha’s village to study medicine

14/10/2020

R. Rajaram TIRUCHI

Three years after S. Anitha of Kuzhumur in Ariyalur district ended her life, unable to get an MBBS seat through NEET, the dream of another girl hailing from the village of studying medicine has become a reality.

Daughter of daily wage earners Shankar and Dhanalakshmi, S. Soundarya will fly to the Philippines to pursue medical education free of cost at Davao Medical Education School Foundation, thanks to a private sponsor. Besides the expenditure for her education, her boarding, food and transport expenses during the period of her study will be sponsored by Transworld Educare Private Limited.

Soundarya’s ambition to become a doctor came to be known to Anitha’s brother S.A Manirathnam, who is running a charitable trust in memory of his sister at the village. “The medical institute’s office at Mahabalipuram near Chennai, which wanted to help a poor girl pursue medicine in memory of Anitha, got in touch with me. That was when I told them about Soundarya’s ambition and her poor economic background,” said Mr. Manirathnam, managing trustee of Dr. Anitha Memorial Charitable Trust.

A representative from the institute in Chennai came to Kuzhumur a few days ago and interacted with Mr. Manirathnam and Ms. Soundarya to ascertain the girl’s wish. Ms. Soundarya had completed Plus Two in a higher secondary school at Kuzhumur with 410 out of 600 marks.