Sravanthi is a product of the Operation Emerald medical coaching programme of the Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society.
Sravanthi secured 2,782 rank with 427 marks in the NEET exam under Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. (Supplied)
In 2018, then-15-year-old Sangarsu Sravanthi lost her father to blood cancer. That incident sparked in her a determination to pursue MBBS and become a doctor.
“I realised the lack of medical facilities in my hometown, especially for those who come from poor families like ours,” she told South First.
And now, five years later, the 20-year-old has taken the first step toward achieving her ambition by qualifying for the prestigious National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year.
Sravanthi secured the 2,782nd rank with 427 marks (of 720) in the NEET exam under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
And in doing so, Sravanthi — a native of Chandrapally village in the Dahegaon Mandal of the Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district in Telangana — has also scripted history.
She will be the first from the Kolawar community to pursue medical studies.
The Kolawars fall under the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) — a sub-category under STs — and have a low literacy rate.
“It is a huge thing. My community people wanted me to be the first doctor from among us. They have encouraged me throughout my preparation days. After the results were declared, they were very happy. I am motivated to help the poor people in general now,” an elated Sravanthi explained.
Sravanthi’s parents as well as her four elder sisters work as daily-wage labourers in the KB Asifabad district.
She received a scholarship from the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) in 2019 to pursue her intermediate on the basis of her Class 10 score.
After finishing intermediate in 2019, she had to take a three-year break owing to Covid-19.
At the same time, she joined a private coaching institute to prepare for NEET. However, the fee there was a huge hurdle.
“The fee was ₹1.5 lakh. To pay that, my parents sold our house for ₹40,000. The remaining ₹1.1lakh was contributed by my cousin Narayana. He has always supported and guided me,” Sravanthi said.
In 2022, she enrolled in the medical coaching programme Operation Emerald, run by the Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions (TTWREI) Society, in Hyderabad’s Hayathnagar.
Launched in 2017, it provides free-of-cost NEET coaching to 50 meritorious boys and girls every year from ST communities. Similarly, Operation Blue Crystal is run for Scheduled Caste (SC) students.
S Sravanthi. (Supplied)
“My cousin Narayana, who is a teacher, came across this coaching programme in the newspaper and asked me to apply. I applied and was selected,” Sravanthi recollected.
She pointed towards the support from the faculty at the Emerald coaching programme. “They would always clear my doubts and provide moral support. They used to reassure me that I will for sure get a seat,” she said.
Another confidence booster for Sravanthi was weekly and monthly tests. “I would often be in the top 5, and also came first a few times. That boosted my confidence,” she said.
Junior Lecturer and TTWR Emerald programme Coordinator in Hayathnagar, Narayana Reddy, expressed his happiness at Sravanthi’s selection.
“She has always been good at studies. She used to be among the top five students in coaching during internal examinations. We were expecting around 500 marks from her in the NEET time this time, but it did not happen. However, she did her best,” Reddy told South First.
This year, 60 students — including Sravanti — who were enrolled in the Emerald programme cleared NEET. Four of them come from the Koya tribal group while one is from the Gond community.
Raising the bar again, this time nearly 76 students of TW Gklm are secured of MBBS seats while 20 in BDS….S.Sravanthi,a PVTG from Kolawar community is one among them…4 Students from Koya community and 1 from Gond to secure MBBS seats…..KUDOS ….transformation is evident pic.twitter.com/iMynt3Oi67
— TTWREI Society (@TTWREISociety) June 15, 2023
Sravanthi wants to become a gynaecologist after completing her medical studies.
“As a woman, and growing up with four sisters, I know the importance of a gynaecologist in remote areas. So, I wish I can do something for those poor women once I become a doctor,” she said.
Based on her rank, she is expecting to get a seat in a government college in Hyderabad.
“I will be putting AIIMS (the All India Institute of Medical Sciences) as option, even though I am sure I will not get admission there with this rank. So I hope I get in Osmania, Gandhi, or NIMS,” Sravanthi said.
However, her lecturer and mentor Narayana Reddy differed.
“She might not get into these three medical institutes based on her marks. But she will likely get into some other medical college in Telangana or Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
Sravanthi’s challenges do not end by merely clearing the NEET. Her mother’s immediate question after coming to know her result was whether the government would fund her education and other expenses.
“We don’t even have land left to fund the expenses,” she told the student.
She and her worried family are hopeful of getting financial aid ahead of her admission.
“Right now, I have no idea about the fees and scholarships. It will be clear once the counselling is done. But even if not for fees, I will require assistance with other expenses such as accommodation, food, books, travel if I have to and other such things,” she explained.
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