The daughter of a Beedi worker, who lost her father when she was just six-and-a-half years old, has cleared her NEET examination and secured an MBBS seat with the help of YouTube videos.
Hailing from a small village in Telangana’s Nizamabad district, Harika faced a lot of financial difficulties growing up after having lost her father when she was just six and a-half years old. But her mother’s hard work and her own efforts, in addition to some valuable help from YouTube videos, culminated in her clearing the NEET examination.
Harika has been allotted a seat at the Siddipet Government Medical College after clearing her NEET UG entrance examination in 2022. She secured a 40,958 position at the all-India level in this year’s National Eligibility Exam for Teachers (NEET) exam, and her rank at the state level was 703.
Harika’s joy knows no bounds as she heads towards fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor. She said, “It was my childhood dream to become a doctor. First, I appeared for the NEET UG entrance examination in 2020, but my score was low for a government medical college admission. I reappeared in 2021 but still got a low score. Then, I borrowed a mobile from my cousin and started preparing by watching YouTube videos. I prepared for physics, chemistry, and biology using YouTube .”
Harika stated, “My father expired when I was six-and-a-half years old. It has been very tough and challenging for my mother to manage my and my brother’s studies. She did various jobs and paid for our schooling at Holy Mary High School, Nizamabad. The school correspondent (principal) was kind-hearted and allowed us to study at a very low fee. She encouraged and motivated me and my brother to move forward. My dream of becoming a doctor was inspired by the correspondent’s daughter, who joined the MBBS programme during my schooling. I had a 9.5 GPA in 10th. With the help of my school correspondent, I was able to obtain a free seat at Kakatiya Junior College. For paying my university fees, my school Correspondent arranged money from some of her medical department friends and colleagues. Later, MLC Kavitha gave me hope and promised that she would help and take care of me financially.”
Her mother Anuradha is proud of her achievements, even though she was reluctant in the beginning because of a financial shortage.
Anuradha said, “I have a son and a daughter. My husband died when the kids were very young. I moved to Nizamabad from Sircilla for the education of my children. My mother is paralyzed. I supported my parents, worked several small jobs, and paid for my children’s schooling. Understanding my situation, the school correspondent made a lot of exceptions with regard to my children’s fees. My daughter was admitted to Kakatiya Junior College for free, but the books had to be bought. When my daughter expressed her wish to pursue MBBS, I was reluctant at first. My daughter started crying and pleading that she’ll surely crack the exam the third time, but she needed a mobile. One of her cousins gave her a phone he was using. I am very happy that she got admission to the government medical college at Siddipet. A lot of people are helping now. MLC Kavitha promised to help us. She gave us money and also promised a job for my son. She also stated that she would be responsible for her studies for the entire five years. I am proud that my daughter is becoming a doctor.”
Interestingly, Telangana CM, K Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter, Kavitha Kalvakuntla, has promised to support Harika financially during her MBBS study. Kavitha Kalvakuntla is a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from Kamareddy and Nizamabad.
Kavitha, also a former MP, met Harika and her mother and extended support towards her dreams by handing over the first instalment of her fees.
Kavitha tweeted on Wednesday, “Dare to dream and then never stop working until you achieve them. This is the story of Harika, who passed and excelled in the MBBS exams via YouTube videos. I met her and her mother and extended my support towards her dreams by handing over the first instalment of her fees.”
In another tweet, she stated, “The daughter of a single mother who is a beedi worker, Harika from Nizamabad, is an inspiration for every person who chooses to live their dreams. Meeting Harika and her mother, a Beedi worker, and becoming a part of her incredible journey is truly a blessing.”