Children of lesser God make it big

Despite all odds, students hailing from very poor families in the State capital are achieving enviable successes in their academics, putting rich kids to shame

Hyderabad: While the children born with silver spoons in their mouths are getting notorious for going astray, the offspring of lesser gods are shining like stars in academics, despite being deprived of proper facilities and tuitions, unlike their rich counterparts.

Interestingly, many a kids from the mighty families are pampered with high-end gadgets and swanky cars, these poor children take up unskilled jobs for a paltry sum to support their families, while working hard on their studies.

Some of such striking success stories come from the toppers of Zilla Parishad Girls High School (ZPGHS) and Zilla Parishad Boys High School (ZPBHS) at Malkajgiri in the State capital.

A majority of students from these schools and their families do menial jobs and depend on daily wages. They cannot afford two square meals a day due to low wages. That apart, most girls and women in such families go through harassment which often go unnoticed. M Sukanya, Class X, (Telugu medium) has been through a similar ordeal. Her parents deserted her at a tender age and she was brought up by her grandmother Yerukali Narsamma since her childhood.

In spite of going through a tough phase of life Sukanya managed to be the second topper of the school by securing a 7-point grade.

Sukanya’s grandmother Narsamma works as a canteen labourer and earns around Rs 200 and that too only if she gets work. She also does gardening at houses which fetches her Rs 50 to Rs 100 in a week.

Sukanya said, “We faced a lot of financial problems and sometimes did not get to eat meals twice a day. But we still supported each other. I worked very hard during my schooling and am now doing my diploma in polytechnic in an English medium government college. My mathematics teacher Anita encourages and helps me financially so that I don’t discontinue my studies and give up on my goals.”

Sukanya’s teacher Karwan Anitha says, “Sukanya is one of our brilliant students and it’s really amazing to see her grandmother going all out to encourage her to pursue her ambitions.”

A R Rahman of ZPBHS (English medium), who resides in a small rented house, has a similar story. He secured 8.8 point grade in SSC public exams-2015.

Narrating his story, he says: “My father is a daily wage labourer and my mother is a homemaker. As my father earns a meager amount, we faced lots of problems. Despite poor financial conditions at home, I did not lose my focus on academics.”

His mother Fatima said, “My son did not attend any tuition and studied on his own. His goal is to study and get into a Chartered Accountancy, Civil Services or Banking profession. Right now, he is pursuing his MEC and one of the corporate companies in Hyderabad is funding his studies.”

A Sai, who scored 8.2 point grade in class X and studied in Telugu medium school, said that his father and brother worked as decoration workers and they drew a salary of Rs 1,000 or Rs 2,000 per month. His mother is also a daily wage worker and earns Rs 200 a day.

To support his family financially, Sai took up a job as a newspaper boy while simultaneously pursuing his studies. “I earn Rs 600 per month and during summer I take up a call centre job where I earn about Rs 5,000. I never neglected my academics hence I bagged the first rank in my school with 8.2 points,” Sai said. He resides in a small rented house at Chandragiri Colony at old Safilguda.