She always braved travelling 5 kilometers daily from her village Champa to Mahuadarn to attend school; not even dreaming to become a doctor despite uncountable odds. But unfortunately, the flight of Anima Minj seems to have succumbed to her plights when she reached so close to it.
The 20-year-old tribal girl of a farm labourer father with her polio-hit leg from a naxal hotbed of lahetar district managed to crack prestigious All India Pre-medical test exam through NEET-2016 and is now wondering how to get admitted without much in her wallet.
“I have secured 8th rank in the country and 1st in Jharkhand in the ST-physically handicapped category. I got my counseling done and offered MBBS course at Grant Medical College & Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai. The college has asked me to come up with two demand drafts amounting Rs 65,000 and Rs 12,000. I told my father but he has gone silent since then,” says Anima with chocking throat.
The family of eight that comprises her other five siblings is to remain dependent on couple of acres of land that produces only when it rains. “My father migrates to other states every year in search of some other job after the monsoon is over. It is very difficult to meet our daily needs. I can understand how my father can arrange such a big amount for me,” she added.
The BPl family somehow managed to send Anima at St Joseph Cluster School, Mahuadarn where she performed excellently and scored 70 per cent in her 12th. “My elder brother would carry me to school on his bicycle. Due to some assistance I got admission in a coaching institute in Ranchi. I passed the test in my first attempt in 2015 but was offered veterinary which I rejected. This time I got MBBS but now I don’t know what to do,” said the girl.
Due to lack of awareness, her family has not been able to approach the local district administration, people representatives, Government Departments, banks or any other forums from where some assistance could be expected. “We don’t know about these things. Someone has told Anima to contact the Chief Minister Office. She is in Ranchi for that. let’s see,” said her father Basudeo Minj, a matriculate.
Moreover, time is running out for the monetarily poor girl. The Grant Medical College & Sir JJ Hospitals, a premier medical institution of the country and is governed by Government of Maharashtra, has given September 3 as deadline to secure her seat. “The college management has told me to come with the fee and take admission by September 3. I have very little money with me and I fear to lose my chance of becoming a doctor,” said Anima with uncertainty since she is fully aware of the bumpy terrains ahead in her way to fulfil her dreams.
