Andhra Pradesh - Eluru   

Sweet are the fruits of hard work

Proud parents: Dasari Madhavi and David Raju, parents of IIT topper Pradeep Kumar in Eluru.

ELURU: Abject poverty seems to have made Dasari Pradeep Kumar, son of a cobbler here, only more determined to make it to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

His grit paid off and Pradeep secured 374th rank in the IIT and he has opted for Chennai.

“When he expressed his wish to get into the IIT in 10th standard, I wondered whether he was not asking for the moon. Now, he made it possible”, says Madhavi, the proud mother in a voice choked with emotion.

Pradeep and his parents live in a dingy rented house in a slum in the nondescript Khandrigagudem on the outskirts of Eluru. However, the two-roomed house is adorned with countless certificates of appreciation, prizes, gold medals and shields that came Pradeep’s way right from standard 7.

With his dream coming true, the family has shot into limelight. Pradeep has caught the attention of the district administration, the media, and of course, the corporate colleges thriving on ‘rank wars’. Collector G. Jayalakshmi donated Rs. 13,000-odd to the boy that helped him join IIT, Chennai.

A bust size photograph of the boy has found place in newspaper advertisements and hoardings sponsored by a corporate college which took credit for his success. But David Raju, his father, has a different story to tell. “When the college management does not even offer coaching for IIT entrance examination, how can it take credit for my son’s achievement?” he questioned.

David Raju defaulted on payment of his house rent which accumulated to Rs. 10,000 . He became cash-strapped and debt-trapped, all for his son. Yet, the suffering caused by poverty did not cause him pain. Instead, he draws comfort from the sweet success of his son. The generosity of different people has also given him strength. “I need at least Rs. 7,000 for my son to purchase books and the other paraphernalia by August 1. I am penniless, I don’t know what to do next,” he says.

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