ANANTAPUR: When terror gripped a classroom and students ran for their lives, a 15-year-old girl chose courage over fear. Sake Lakshmi, a Class X student of Zilla Parishad High School at Rapthadu, risked her own life to save her friend M Gopika from a brutal attack by an assailant wielding an electric chain saw.
While the others rushed out in panic, Lakshmi stayed back and tried to pull Gopika away. Her intervention turned the assailant’s fury towards her and she suffered serious injuries to both legs and her right big toe.
Now recovering at the Government General Hospital in Anantapur, Lakshmi’s courage is winning appreciation across the country.
Lakshmi said the attack occurred around 10.30 am during the second period, when the mathematics teacher continued teaching in the absence of the Telugu teacher, who was on election duty.
A loud noise alerted students as the assailant cut open the classroom door with a chainsaw, entered and attacked Gopika. As students fled screaming, Lakshmi tried to pull her friend away, but the attacker struck her legs below the knees and injured her right big toe.
“I immediately got up and tried to run towards the teachers. But my legs were not responding as they normally would. When I looked down in fear, I realised that I was bleeding. Somehow, I limped towards the teachers, sat down and narrated what had happened. The rest is known to everyone,” she recalled.
While the country applauds Lakshmi, her family continues to battle poverty in Rapthadu village. Her father, Sake Nagaraju, who earlier worked as a construction labourer, is currently without regular employment. Her mother, Sake Ramadevi, works as a sweeper at a private college and earns just `8,000 a month.
Lakshmi is the eldest of four children, all studying in government schools. Her sisters Yamini and Varshini are in Classes VIII and VI, respectively, while her brother Vinod is in Class IV. Varshini has been differently abled since birth and is unable to speak and hear. Their 70-year-old grandmother, Sake Anjanamma, bedridden for several years due to leg problems, also depends on the family.
The seven-member family lives in a house allotted to Lakshmi’s grandparents by the government nearly 30 years ago. It has no toilet, forcing members to go outdoors, while the dilapidated roof with peeling plaster and cracked walls leaves them worried about their safety.
Ramadevi said, “I have four children and an elderly mother-in-law to look after. My husband earlier worked as a mason but is currently unemployed. Managing the household with this income is extremely difficult. Fortunately, the government is extending good medical support to my daughter.
We need financial assistance for a house and our children’s education. If a loan is sanctioned, I can start some work from home and support my family. I appeal to the government, private organisations and philanthropists to come forward and help us.”
M Atmaram, Head of the Department of Orthopaedics, said “she is receiving the best possible medical care.”
Bisathi Bharath, President of India Awardee and Union Government Ambassador, said “Lakshmi demonstrated extraordinary courage by standing up to an attacker and protecting her friend instead of fleeing. Her bravery, presence of mind and selfless act of saving another life deserve the highest appreciation and national recognition. She is an inspiration to young girls and the entire nation,” he said.
The challenge now is to ensure that the girl who stepped forward to save her friend is not left to fight her family’s financial struggles alone.