Namakkal student, once a Class 10 topper, needs help to fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor

Aarthi CK has dreamt of becoming a doctor since Class 6, but her dreams hit a tragic roadblock when her father passed away last year.
Namakkal student, once a Class 10 topper, needs help to fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor
Namakkal student, once a Class 10 topper, needs help to fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor
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Till last year, Aarthi CK, once a Class 10 district topper from Namakkal, knew without a doubt that she would become a doctor in just a few years. However, her dreams hit a tragic roadblock, when her  father, the breadwinner of the family, suddenly passed away in September of a cardiac arrest.  

Today, as her family struggles to pay the fees of her MBBS course, the future suddenly looks very bleak.

Aarthi, studying in the second year of her medical degree from Velammal Medical College, has dreamt of becoming a doctor since Class 6. “I want to become a doctor to help the society. Also, I want to pay for other children who cannot afford to study in a medical college and fulfil their dream of becoming a doctor,” said Aarthi.

However, with her father gone, Aarthi’s brother is the only earning member of the family. Having completed his engineering, he currently works in an RTO office, and earns a monthly income of just Rs 5,000.

In this situation, the fees for Aarthi’s course are well beyond the means of the family. “For a year, the fees for my college are Rs 7,50,000. My parents sold their ancestral home to support my studies,” she narrates. “I will have to stop my medical studies if we are unable to get enough money.”

Aarthi had scored the second-highest marks in Namakkal district in Class 10, but narrowly missed the cut-off for a government medical college seat. “I got 494/ 500 in Class 10 and 1178/ 2000 in Class 12. I missed the cut-off for government medical college with one mark,” she says.  

Aarthi says that it was always her father who was most supportive of her dream of becoming a doctor. “When I was joining my course, we got financial support from others. But my father always said I will do anything for you to become a doctor. After his death, there is no one to support us,” she said.

While her family has been encouraging, she explains, the large community has been far less positive about it. “They always told my parents that there is no need of making their daughter a doctor as she will get married and go away. They asked my parents to focus on education of my brother,” she said.

Those interested in contributing towards Aarthi’s  education can find details of the crowdfunding petition here

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