Defying Odds: Marginalized Students from Telangana's Welfare Institutions Script Success, Bagging IIT and NIT Seats
G. Sindhuja, a student from Warangal, whose father lost a government job opportunity by just one mark, was motivated by his experience and decided to achieve big in life. She has secured a seat in CSE in IIT-Hyderabad.
Hyderabad: Defying their poor economic conditions and social challenges, several students hailing from marginalised communities scripted their success stories, bagging seats in the country’s premier IITs and NITs in the recently concluded counselling. They told Deccan Chronicle their stories on Saturday.
G. Sindhuja, a student from Warangal, whose father lost a government job opportunity by just one mark, was motivated by his experience and decided to achieve big in life. She has secured a seat in CSE in IIT-Hyderabad. “I gave up all distractions and focused on my goal,” said Sindhuja, who studied in Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society.
Sindhuja said that her father always told her not to take stress and to trust the process. “If it's meant for you, you will get it. If not, I can explore other fields. I am thankful to have got the course I aimed for. Thinking logically and staying calm helped me succeed,” she told this reporter.
Among the success stories is R. Pavan Kalyan, hailing from tribal community in Nalgonda district. Overcoming his family's weak financial condition, Kalyan, a student of the Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society, secured a seat in electrical and electronics engineering at IIT-Roorkee, becoming the first person in his family to get into IIT.
Son of a marginal farmer, Kalyan worked in the agriculture field to help his family. However, he never lost sight of his aim of joining the IIT. “Having gone through challenges since childhood, I want to become a job creator rather than seeker. Support from parents made me clear the JEE Advanced and get a seat in the IIT,” Kalyan told Deccan Chronicle.
Apart from academics, P Shashi Kiran, a Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Society student hailing from a tribal area in Mahbubabad district, had to overcome language barriers. It took him until his Intermediate second year of his preparations to pick up pace. “My parents are illiterate, but my father always motivated me to study well and build a better life. Attending classes regularly and making short notes helped me a lot,” he said.
Although he was disappointed at not getting a seat in IIT Bombay, he was grateful for securing admission in NIT Patna. “I come from a village where there’s barely any mobile signal, but I did not give up,” he said.
D. Tejaswini, a native of Asifabad district, turned her hard work into a civil engineering seat at IIT-Bombay. “During preparation, I struggled mentally because I kept comparing myself with others, which was a mistake. The effort I put in for studies has shown in the results and cleared my doubts about my standing without hesitation,” said Tejaswini, a former student of the society.
