Against all odds

By Jaideep Hardikar in Nagpur

It is a tale of triumph over adversity, of one determined Indian girl defying poverty, social prejudice and intense competition to make something of her life.

Vaishali and her family are used to coping with financial hardship

Her achievement has given Nagpur rickshaw-puller Ramesh Wankhede and his wife Maya, a domestic help, reason to cheer.

Braving all odds, their studious daughter Vaishali has made it onto this year's list of trainee doctors in the state of Maharashtra.

At 17, most girls of the Maang community in the city of Nagpur are married off.

The Maangs are a socially deprived section of the underprivileged dalit caste. For them opportunities to become white collar workers are few and far between.

Childhood dream

Already, the dynamic teenager has become a new role model for impoverished fellow students of the Kachipura locality, a working class area yet to be touched by India's economic progress.

At the end of this month, Vaishali will enrol for medical college in Maharashtra to realise her childhood dream of becoming a doctor.

It was done because she scored 169 out of a total of 200 marks in a tough Pre-Medical Test (PMT).

In an exam taken by around 80,000 higher secondary students, she came among the top 100.

I am very happy today for [my parents] but I could have done a little better and scored better marks Vaishali Wankhede

Competition is intense. The students are fighting it out for a total of 2,000 course places, 260 of which are reserved for lower caste students according to government regulations.

Vaishali is proud to be among them.

"I opted to study medicine because I am not good in mathematics," she said.

"Biology is my preferred subject."

Vaishali's parents are illiterate. But they never forced her to go and work for a living, unlike many of her contemporaries.

"My father couldn't teach me, but he took me to the school in his rickshaw every day," Vaishali fondly recalls.

"I am very happy today for them but I could have done a little better and scored better marks."

Financial hardship

Money has been a big worry. Medical colleges charge up to $4,360 a year.

But her financial predicament could be helped by the fact that the Maharashtra government has decided to waive fees for backward caste students.

But on top of the college fees there are other heavy expenses.

Now the Union Bank of India says it will sponsor her.

Vaishali is used to coping with financial hardship.

It was in her two-room shelter, which she shared with six other family members, that she braved a hand-to-mouth existence.

Putting in long hours of study in between domestic chores, she remained focussed.

She could neither afford the money, nor the time for private tutorials - something that most students regard as a must.

In fact while she struggled with her text books, her family's monthly income was barely $30.

Under such constraints her two elder brothers Mukesh, who runs a cycle-repair shop and Dinesh, who is a driver, dropped out of school and went to work.

Knowledge and guidance

But they wanted her to study, while her mother prayed that she would not be compelled to do menial jobs.

A lack of female role models is said to be an issue in India

Apart from her doting family, Vaishali's maternal uncle next door stood firmly behind her to ensure that she continued to study.

"There were times when she went to school hungry," said her mother in a choked voice.

"We could never meet her needs," lamented her father, who had to give up his rickshaw job after injuring a leg.

Vaishali is also indebted to Professor H C Kaliwale, a local educationalist, who provided her with books and knowledge when she needed it desperately.

"I saw in her a great determination. I knew at once she would make it," he said.

There were others who helped too, including her mother's employers who provided books and pens when she could not afford them.

Now this soft-spoken girl has achieved her goal, and she is the toast of her neighbourhood.

Inspired by her results, students in her neighbourhood are seeking her guidance, and she is helping them out.

"Together we will change our world one day," she said.

With Vaishali's combination of brains and determination, who can argue with that?