Mahalakshmi J. has had a tough childhood. She ran away from home to escape from her abusive mother and two brothers, and went to live with her uncle, who was not supportive of her dreams. “My mother wanted me to marry. I was forced to drop out of school in class 6. My uncle also did not support me,” she said.
But with the help of her uncle’s friend she was taken to the Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA). The ASPA counselled her mother, reunited Mahalakshmi with her family, and encouraged her to continue her studies and write the SSLC exam.
On Friday, the teenager learnt that she had passed the exam with 58% marks.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I was very bad in mathematics, and didn’t know a word in English,” said Mahalakshmi, and added that she passed only because of her teachers who encouraged her a lot. Though she wants to pursue higher studies, she is worried about the finances, and her future.
She, however, said life had taught her to hold on to one’s dreams.