CHITRADURGA (KARNATAKA): Winners don't do different things. But they do things differently. The old adage is apt for this Hiriyur girl who fought against all odds to secure the highest marks in the Aeronautical Engineering course of the Vishvesvaraiah Technological University (VTU).
R Lalitha is a living example of dedication. When the daughter of a vegetable vendor couple walks up the stage on Saturday to receive her well-deserved gold medallions from the vice-chancellor, it will be an unforgettable sight for her beaming and proud parents Rajendra K and Chitra R.
With 9.7 percentile, Lalitha is the first graduate in her family which has for generations sold vegetables at the Nehru Market in front of the New Kalpana hotel of Hiriyur. Lalitha doesn't want to go abroad in search of a lucrative job but instead wants to stay back and become a space scientist.
Her dreams to work either in IISc or ISRO are because of her idol K Sivan, whose life story motivated her to take up aeronautical engineering.
Lalitha's day typically begins at 4 AM. After waking up, she accompanies her parents to the wholesale market to purchase vegetables for sale. At the Nehru Market, where her parents sell vegetables, Lalitha could be seen spending time studying.
For her PU education, Lalitha joined SRS College in Chitradurga. Amid financial hardships, she had to commute from Hiriyur to her college every day. But nothing stopped her from achieving her dreams. She scored 87 per cent in PU and subsequently secured the 20000th rank in CET.
Dreams of becoming a space scientist
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Lalitha said, "Whatever I am today is because of my parents. I will live up to their promise. My present aim is to take up MS in aerospace engineering for which I have cleared GATE examination."
"Even though I come from a small town, it didn't take me long to get used to the busy life of a metro. Dedication and concentration in studies have helped me achieve the results I have been dreaming of."
Her admiration for the present chairman of ISRO K Sivan is very evident. "It is my dream to become a space scientist and I will work hard towards it. Even though there are several aeronautical companies across the world, I would like to stay back in India. I will work for IISc or ISRO to work for a better future for the country," said Lalitha.
"I was in a dilemma when it came to selecting a subject for BE during graduation. Though there were several suggestions to pursue conventional engineering courses, I wanted to do something different. I followed my gut and went for aeronautical engineering," she added.
Lalitha is presently undergoing an internship at a private aerospace engineering firm in Bengaluru and at the same time preparing for the IISc and ISRO examinations.
"My GATE score stands at 707 and I am aiming to join any of the IITs in the country to complete the MS course. The results of the selection will be out anytime soon," Lalitha explains.
Lalitha's parents who are very happy with her success say, "Today we are more than satisfied as all our three daughters are doing very well in their respective careers."
Lalitha has two sisters, R Bhuvana and R Tulasi, who are pursuing fashion designing and civil engineering respectively.
"I strongly believe in the strength of my daughters who have made me proud and I am happy that the entire Hiriyur and Chitradurga district are celebrating Lalitha's success as their own," said Rajendra, who earns Rs 400-600 per day.
"Even though my wife and I are not educated enough, the achievements of our daughters have made us very proud. I urge all parents to give prime importance to their daughters' education," he added.