Dakshina Kannada boy beats poverty, makes it to IIT

Mangalore 10 Jun 2013 (TOI): Pinching poverty did not deter this lad from Yenekallu in Sullia taluk from getting into one of the top-ranked institutions in the country. Manjunatha N, who washed dishes in hotels when he was studying in primary school to make ends meet, will now pursue his joint MSc-PhD at IIT Bhubaneswar, which is a six-year course.

 

Manjunatha’s ambition to become an engineer did not materialize despite he getting 192 ranking in ST category in AIEEE. The steep fee structure even for his category, about Rs 25,000 per year, was out of his reach. His mentor and physical education teacher Shivaram Yenekallu and Anugraha Education Trust owner Ganesh Nair helped him pursue his BSc and looked after his daily needs.

 

"I was sitting at home without knowing what to do after my PUC. Shivaram approached me and asked what I wanted to do next. I simply said BSc. Shivaram said he would finance my education. I did not want to tell him that I wanted to do engineering as it would be expensive,’’ he said.

 

Manjunatha who studied Standard 1 and 2 at Subrahmanya Ashram School, studied for the next three years at Yenekallu Government School. "I used to wash vessels in a hotel to make ends meet,’’ said Manjunatha whose mother Susheela is a daily wage earner. His two elder sisters are married. While one of them studied up to PUC, the other sister studied BSc Nursing. "I always wanted to study and was determined. The help and encouragement given by many has helped me reach this level,’’ he says remembering retired physics professor Ganesh Nair, who guided him on the IIT exam process, photographer Lokesh, contractor Ravi Kakkepadavu and others who helped him financially.

 

His education from sixth standard up to PUC was a breeze as he got admissions at Jawahar Navodaya School at Mudipu, where education and boarding were free. "When I was studying at Canara College, I also worked as a helper for catering firms during weekends and also when I was free,’’ he says. While he secured 72% in PUC (CBSE), he got 82% in BSc.

 

How did he come to apply for JAM (Joint Admission Test for M.Sc)?

 

"In fact I wanted to do my IAS. The sole reason was that Scheduled Tribes are exempt from the application fee. For others, the fee is a minimum of Rs 500. But finally what I prepared for IAS examinations helped me get through JAM,’’ he said. "I still want to write the civil services examination. But the MSc-PhD programme will be tough and hope I find enough time,’’ says Manjunatha, who will be in Bhubaneswar on July 18. Classes start four days later.

 

Since he cannot meet the institution and mess fee which amounts to Rs 43,400 for the first semester (for ST category), Manjunatha is looking for help from philanthropists. He can be contacted on 9902495359.

 

Those who wish to help him financially can send funds to: Canara Bank, Mangalore branch a/c no: 2858101003675 (IFSC code: CNRB0002858)

 

What’s JAM?

Joint Admission Test for MSc (JAM) is an all-India examination administered and conducted jointly by the Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, on behalf of the ministry of human resources development. JAM is for admission to MSc (two years), joint MSc-PhD, MSc-PhD dual degree and other post-bachelor’s degree programmes at the IITs and to the Integrated PhD programme at IISc.