Karnataka: Got married as teen, but she is now winner of six UAS gold medals

Bengaluru: Circumstances forced her to get married even before completing her II PUC, but that did not stop her from pursuing her dreams and realising them. On Monday, she attended the 51st convocation of the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in the city, accompanied by her four-year-old daughter, and went on to received six gold medals. It only capped her other achievement on Saturday, when it was announced that she had passed the KPSC gazetted probationers examination and has the posting as a tahsildar.

Aarathi, the winner under trying circumstances, is a resident of drought-hit and economically backward Bagepalle. She told Deccan Chronicle that even though she got married young, she never stopped dreaming. "My husband, my child and my in-laws encouraged me to go after my dreams," she said.

But it was Mr Raghuveer, who is from Bengaluru, who stole the show at the UAS convocation by bagging 11 gold medals. "I joined BSc in UAS and it was my father's ambition. But he died six months ago. I am dedicating my gold medals to him,' he said.