Samatha India

Dalit girl’s dream of becoming a doctor under threat

P. Sudhakar

TIRUNELVELI: A Dalit girl’s dream of becoming a doctor is under threat since her family working in a fireworks manufacturing unit near Sattur is unable to pay the fee though she has secured a seat in the Tuticorin Medical College on merit.

When M. Jeeva, a school teacher came to know that J. Selvi of Achchankulam near Panaiyadipatti in Sivakasi taluk has scored 1,078 marks in Plus Two in March 2008, she asked her to apply for MBBS since her cut off mark for medicine is 189.

Fearing ‘financial burden on her parents due to her higher studies’, she refused immediately and prepared to join one of the fireworks manufacturing unit close to her village to augment the family’s income.

However, Ms. Jeeva discussed her case with her husband Michael Raj, Station Master of Sattur Railway Station, who asked his son to buy an application for Ms. Selvi, a student of S.H.N. Ethel Harvey Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Sattur. With the help of D. Aram, State president of Doctors’ Association for Social Equality (DASE) and doctor in Sattur Government Hospital, he convinced the poor girl and persuaded her to apply for MBBS.