For M.V.Darshana, a hand-held magnifying lens was her constant companion, as she ploughed through the CBSE Commerce syllabus. And early mornings were her ideal study hour, not out of choice, but out of the necessity because of her disability.
On Sunday, Darshana from Nalanda International Public School here, figured as the third topper among the disabled students in the CBSE topper list with a score of 483 marks. “Oh, my family is overjoyed,” said an exhilarated Darshana over phone.
Born with micro cornea in both eyes, a congenital condition, where the cornea is small, Darshana had to undergo a surgery in her left eye at the age of two. The surgery replaced her left cornea, salvaging the vision to a degree, while right vision was nothing more than silhouettes.
It was a struggle the first few years, as the family figured out their role as care-givers on the one hand, and equipping their daughter to handle her disability on the other. “She loves to listen, so we kept telling her spiritual stories to keep her motivated as a child,” says R.Mohan, Darshana’s father.
But the start was not easy. “At first, a pre-KG nursery was hesitant to admit her,” said Mr. Mohan . That’s when Mr. Mohan and family went to the National School for the Blind in Bengaluru.
The counsellors at the National School insisted that Darshana be put in a regular school as she was capable of normal education. The family put her in Vijay Vidyalaya Matriculation School here. ‘From the beginning, the teachers encouraged her, and there was motivation all around her,” says Mr.Mohan.
“I could manage with my left vision till primary,” she says. But, in class VI, vision in the left eye could not cope with the font size of the books. Her doctors suggested a way around. “They suggested I start using a magnifying lens.” When I write, I have to hold the book very close to see. When I read, I need a magnifying lens,” she says.
“I never could sit beyond an hour at night to study. It was very difficult.” So, she would wait for the dawn. Her perseverance paid off. Darshana excelled in her CBSE X exams too.
For the Mohan’s family, it is still to sink in. I want to become an entrepreneur, says Darshana, who has already applied to all top colleges in Chennai for B.Com. “I’ll figure out what venture I would like to take up along the way,” says, the daughter of a wealth management consultant, taking cue from her father.
