TUMAKURU: A woman from the backward Kadugolla community has won three gold medals, securing the 1st rank in the MSc Mathematics stream. She was presented the medals at the 16th convocation of Tumkur University on Monday.
Asha LE, who is employed as a data scientist at a Bengaluru-based firm, hails from Lakkenahalli Gollarahatti hamlet in Gubbi taluk. Both her parents -- Eeraiah and Gangamma -- are illiterate, but have backed their four daughters to secure a good education.
Youngest among the the siblings, Asha went against all odds, including the taboo of being left alone in a makeshift tent in a field far away from her house during the menstrual cycle. “I too am a victim of the custom, as I spent 22 days in a tent, which was like an inferno. I want to create awareness in the community against this practice,” she said. Meanwhile, her three older sisters are educated, and are working at different levels. Asha is married to a businessman, Prakash, who is an MCom graduate, and has always supported her.
This positive news has come as a morale booster for the women of the community, following the death of a one-month-old baby girl, which had made headlines recently.