Saga of an orphan girl pursuing BTech

Tirupati: NallamsettiNeelima, an orphan girl who lost both her parents when she was in eighth class has fought against all odds to pursue her studies. She is in BTech (computer science) Final year at Sri PadmavathiMahilaVisvavidyalayam (SPMVV) Engineering College in Tirupati. Proving that strong determination to achieve a goal and passion for education will have no barriers, she excelled in all examinations.

After her parents died one after another with in a gap of one year due to ill health, Neelima, a native of Railway Koduru in Kadapa district, reached the Government Special cum Children home and Observation home for girls in Tirupati on 15 October 2010. Her father was a flower merchant.

Though Neelima has relatives, they were not interested in taking care of her. She is having a younger sister too who is studying class VIII now and stays with her grandmother. Neelima felt the need for completing her education, which is essential to stand on her own and look after her sister too.

She came to know about the observation home for girls in Tirupati though a teacher and decided that it was her place, said the Superintendent of the home B Nanda Gopal.

After coming to know about her interest in pursuing education, Nanda Gopal got her admitted in Kasthuriba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya at Yerravaripalem in class IX. Since then she never looked back and got engrossed in achieving her dreams. She secured top marks in all examinations.

In Class X, Neelima got 9.7 GPA and stood at third place in the district. She did her intermediate MPC in Narayana Junior College, Tirupati. She was selected in Prajvalika scheme under which finance assistance was provided by the district administration to poor students studying in corporate colleges who scored more than 500 marks in SSC.

The Superintendent of the home spent his personal money for other expenses. In Intermediate, she secured 96.4 percent. In EAMCET, she managed to get a rank around 50000 and was admitted into SPMVV engineering college. So far, she is having an aggregate percentage of 73 percent in the first three years and is very much confident of achieving distinction.

Though she can continue staying in the observation home itself, the Superintendent advised her to stay at college hostel so that she can concentrate more on studies. Former SP of Chittoor district Charu Sinha paid her mess bill for the 1st year, while the Superintendent paid the bills during the subsequent two years from his own pocket.

Now in the final year AkulaSubramanyam educational trust is paying the mess bills. She completed Computer courses like ‘C’ and Java too. Neelima expressed her desire to become a Civil Servant. Speaking to The Hans India, Neelima said she has to take of her sister too in the future. Keeping this in mind as far as possible she wants to pursue higher education and wants to be in a better position to help the poor.

According to her Nanda Gopal had provided all her requirements like textbooks, personal things, dresses etc. And he has readily promised to bear all the expenditure for her coaching in civil services examinations. He also said that even if she wants to go to US to pursue her MS there, there will be no problem. Many NRIs are there to give a helping hand.

By V PRADEEP KUMAR