M Karunanidhi’s daughter doesn’t have enough money to study medicine in Manila. Surprised? Don’t be. Though he shares a name with the DMK patriarch, this Karunanidhi is a conductor with the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and his daughter K Vidya has managed to score 92 per cent in her board exams.
And like any other smart kid, she too says that she wants to be a doctor — but her dreams aren’t constrained to colleges in the country, “This has been my aim from a very young age. After consulting with others, I have decided to give a shot at getting into universities in the Philippines, because the cardiology expertise is great there,” she said, “And unlike here, it’s easier to get in there,” she added.
Graduating from the Sivakasi Hindu Nadar School as its topper, she says that her Biology marks were not up to her expectations and this lowered her cut-off.
She says this is one of the major reasons as to why she wants to study abroad. “I am writing competitive exams such as JIPMER here and am hoping to crack them to get a medical seat within India,” she said, with her fingers crossed.
All said and done, a career in medicine is still a bit of a far-fetched dream for Vidya. “There are deductions in salary for my father, because of the home loan,” she said. So how is she going to arrange the funds for an expensive course like MBBS? Hope, is her only answer.