MYSURU: From braving conventions to picking up a master’s degree in Kannada, despite hailing from the forest fringes and resisting the tribal tradition of early wedlock, 22-year-old tribal girl Anuradha is now chasing the dream of becoming a Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer.
But the road ahead is tough as she does not have enough money to fund her coaching classes. Picking the only option, she is now working as a farm hand at the fields to save enough for her training.Hailing from the Thimmanahosahalli hamlet near DB Kuppe of HD Kote taluk, Anuradha is among rare tribal women who have pursued higher education. She was raised by a single mother, who was widowed at an early age but worked hard to educate her.
Anuradha told The New Indian Express that the plight of other tribal girls, who could not pursue education, inspired her to chase the KAS dream.Though the Social Welfare Department has a Pre-Examination Training Centre (PETC) programme for youth aspiring for competitive exams, like IAS and KAS, she missed applying for it. “This year, the process was completely online and the last date was in December. I got to know about it late and moreover, we were struggling to make our ends meet because of the pandemic,” she said.
She approached many private coaching centres, but could not afford the fees. “They ask for over `60,000 for coaching, apart from the stay. It is difficult to save money from the wages I get working in the fields, but I have no other option. I have been trying for a better-paying job, but so far nothing has materialised,”
she said.
Tribal activist Shailendra of Karnataka Aranya Moola Budakattu Samudayakala Okutta said that a tribal girl like Anuradha acquiring a master’s degree itself is a big achievement. “She should not be denied help to pursue her dream at any cost. If girls like her from our community emerge as successful officers, it would be liberating and inspiring for other girl children. The authorities should come forward to fund her coaching,” he said.
When TNIE approached Prakash, the Integrated Tribal Development Programme Coordinator from Tribal Welfare Department, he said the department will take care of her accommodation at a city of her choice, but added that she may not be able to get into the PETC programme since the last date is over.