Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu): Battling against all odds, 19-year-old Sanghavi, belonging to the Malasar tribal community dreams of becoming a doctor.
Though not a single person from her community, has pursued higher education, Sanghavi, aspires to become a doctor and set an example for other children of her community.
However, the biggest hurdle in her way is the Community Certificate, without which, they could neither join any college nor apply for any job.
Thatched huts that freely let in the sun rays as well as the rain, non-existent toilets or lack of any other basic amenities result in high rate of school drop outs.
Settled in Rotti Goundan Pudur village under Thirumalayampalayam Town Panchayat, they are among the few tribal communities who have migrated to the plains long back in search of livelihood. However, their condition is worse than their counterparts on the hills.
The families eke out a living by working as daily wagers in the agricultural farmlands in the neighbourhood. They do not have proper houses and even the construction of the green houses have been left half complete. There is no electricity to their settlement and even the Integrated Sanitary Complex, constructed at a cost of Rs 6 lakh remains under locks, due to which they endure great hardship during the monsoon.
Hailing from this community, Sanghavi has completed her schooling with much difficulty and dreams of becoming a doctor. Her mother, Vasanthamani, is infirm and confined to the home and with the meager earning of her father, Muniappan. She was able to go to school while many other children dropped out in the middle, which is the norm in the community.
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The residents of the tribal settlement have never availed many government benefits since they do not have any documents – Aadhaar, Ration Card, Community Certificate and the like. Of all these, the denial of Community Certificate is the one that deters their education. Despite several attempts, officials refuse to issue Community Certificate since they reside in the plains.
Undeterred, Sanghavi appeared for the NEET examination but fell short of a mere 6 marks, required for the cut off for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) Community. She wrote the examination though she was unwell and reached the examination centre with much difficulty.
Later, she joined a private polytechnic college only to discontinue it for want of Community Certificate. Meanwhile, the death of her father has come as a great shock. But, she has not given up on her efforts to become a doctor.
According to the teenager, denial of Community Certificate by officials remains the prime hurdle in her way of getting admitted to the MBBS and becoming a doctor.
However, she has not lost hope and is confident of cracking NEET provided she gets a Community Certificate and financial support.
