Latest news with #Aundi
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
TN tribal girl set to join IIT; state govt to foot her educational expenses
Salem: Tribal girl A Rajeshwari, 18, of Karumandurai in Salem district has ensured a seat in an IIT after scoring high in JEE Advanced. Rajeshwari, the daughter of late Aundi and Kavitha of Appakudi, completed her schooling at the Karumandurai Government residential school in Vazhapadi taluk of Salem district. Appakudi is a tribal village in the Kalvarayan Hills. She passed the Class XII board examination with a score of 521 out of 600. Rajeshwari secured All India Rank (AIR) 417 in the JEE Advanced under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. This has ensured Rajeshwari an opportunity to study at an IIT. "With the support of my teachers, I took the JEE to pursue my studies at IIT-Madras," she told TOI. She made use of JEE coaching facilitated for tribal students by the Tamil Nadu govt. Chief minister M K Stalin said his govt would bear all the higher education expenses of Rajeshwari. In a post on X, the CM stated, "I salute Rajeshwari for her achievement. A student from a govt residential school, Rajeshwari, despite the loss of her father, has held his dream close to her heart and made it a reality." Rajeshwari's father, Aundi, who was a labourer, died in 2024 due to cancer. Her mother, Kavitha, engages in gardening work in the area. Rajeshwari's brother, Sriganesh, is a BSc mathematics graduate and is employed at a private company. Her elder sister, Jagatheeshwari, has completed a BSc in chemistry. Her younger sister, Paramesh, is in Class X. "Even after my father succumbed to cancer, my mother, brother and sisters supported me in pursuing my education. Because of their help, I was able to study diligently and pass JEE Advanced. I have now secured a spot to study at IIT-Madras," Rajeshwari said.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Tribal girl from TN's Kalvarayan Hills makes it to IIT, realises late father's dream
CHENNAI: When A Rajeshwari, a tribal girl, walks on the hallowed corridors of an Indian Institute of Technology soon, she will be living her own dream, and one her father held close to his heart till he succumbed to cancer a year ago. A Aundi, her dad who belonged to the Malayali (Scheduled Tribe) community of Karumandurai, a village located 65km from Salem in the Kalvarayan Hills with a 90% tribal population, could study only up to Class 8 due to poverty and seasonal migration. Determined that his four children should have a different future, Aundi took up tailoring and toiled hard to provide them with a stable education, ably supported by his wife Kavitha. He succeeded in making his first two children undergraduates, which in itself is no mean feat. If he had not died in 2024, Aundi would have not only witnessed the proudest moment of his life but also the beginning of a transformation in the lives of his family as his third child Rajeshwari will make history by becoming the first tribal student from a Government Tribal Residential School run by the state government to enter into an IIT, most likely IIT-Madras. The girl from Government Tribal Residential Higher Secondary School in Karumandurai, has secured an all-India rank of 417 under the Scheduled Tribes category in the JEE Advanced results published on Monday.
