Lavanya Lakshmi: From Hopelessness to Hope
28 year-old Lakshmi stood out in the SSC annual examinations even as she is suffering from Cerebral Palsy, a neuromuscular disorder
KAKINADA: Akula Lavanya Lakshmi, an Open School student, scored 345 marks out of 500 in the SSC annual examinations, achieving a 69 per cent success.
Normally, this score is not a big win. But, the 28 year-old Lakshmi stood out even as she is suffering from Cerebral Palsy, a neuromuscular disorder.
The girl has no functioning organs in her body except her head, right thumb and index fingers. She doesn’t stand up or sit down. She operates cell phone with one finger, but very well. She does her studies on the cell phone.
When Telugu Desam’s East Godavari district president and former minister KS Jawahar visited Annadevarapeta village in Tallapudi mandal, he observed her condition. Her grandmother and grandfather requested him to provide her a means of livelihood.
Jawahar brought the issue to the notice of the East Godavari collector Prashanthi, who visited her later. She suggested that the girl study and directed the education department officials to help her for her studies.
District education officer Vasudeva Rao advised the Open School authorities to help the girl out. Teachers from the open school thus went to the girl’s house and taught her lessons.
“Lavanya Lakshmi is a brilliant student. Though she is bed-ridden, can’t stand up and can’t sit down, she can grasp the lessons when she hears them. She operates a cell phone in only one finger with a speed mode,’’ DEO Vasudeva Rao told Deccan Chronicle.
He said that she has more interest in education. Technically, she has more knowledge. When the open school examinations were held, the department arranged her a “scribe’’ and she answered the questions very well. The girl has “incredible intelligence.”
On Monday, she along with TD leader Jawahar, who was also a teacher previously, came to the public grievance redressal system in Rajamahendravaram and has shown his SSC marks list, issued by Open School Society (Amaravati) to collector Prashanthi. The collector congratulated her.
“This is an example of the success of the P-4 (Zero Poverty), introduced by the chief minister. Lakshmi achieved the success with hard work and perseverance,” said Prashanthi.
She said the girl qualified Class X examinations with first division, scoring 69 per cent marks, and was encouraged to continue her studies and reach higher heights.
Lavanya Lakshmi is being provided with a monthly governmental pension of `15,000.
“Jawahar sir helped me a lot. He provided model papers and explained to me how to solve mathematical problems and other subjects. Because of him, I am getting a pension. I can write with two fingers very well in slow mode,” Lavanya said.
According to her family members, Lavanya was born in good condition, but she developed health complications later. Her parents are Akula Krishna Rao and Akula Venkamamba. Krishna Rao is a tenant farmer. Now he has health problems and could not work.