Fighting to control her emotions, Tayavva Mang proudly displayed the three gold medals hung around her neck on Monday. She had secured them earlier in the day for her excellent academic performance during the 9th convocation of Akka Mahadevi Women’s University (AWU) here.
Ms. Mang, who is a native of Kuchanur village of Jamkhandi taluk in Bagalkot district, shared the moment with her mother, an agricultural labourer. She lost her father at an early age and was raised with the support of her uncle and grandfather.
“Because of poverty, my brother had to quit school and begin working in the fields. My younger sister had no interest in studying, and so got married a few years ago. But I had a lot of interest in education and continued the study with the support of my uncle,” she said.
Having secured three gold medals in M.A. in Kannada, she now wishes to complete her Ph.D and become a degree college lecturer.
The joy and elation of S. Bindu of Mandya district was no less after she too secured three gold medals.
The M. Com degree holder is the daughter of a laundry owner and credits her parents for supporting her through her studies. “The cooperation of parents in a must for children to study, and my father always encouraged me,” she said.
Standing next to her father, who had come from Mandya to witness his daughter receive the medals, Ms. Bindu said she hopes to get a bank job. “It is with the aim of working in a bank that I took up the M. Com course. I plan to undergo some banking course to get a job in any bank and support my family, who have supported me all along so far,” she said.
Expressing pride in his daughter, Ms. Bindu’s father Shivaram said he would do all in his power to help her pursue higher education if she chose to.
