KHAMMAM: For 19-year-old Avula Durgaprasad, who comes from a rural background, clearing JEE mains with 96.48 percent, was an achievement not possible for others, as he went to the examination on the very day his mother died.
Torn apart by love for his mother Narasamma, who, though blind, stood by him all his life, and his ambition to make a mark in life, Durgaprasad took the examination. As he was answering questions, the personal tragedy at home hung over him, numbing his mind, and yet he pulled himself together and cleared the examination.
Born into poverty and squalor, Durgaprasad’s academic excellence was one that bears the hallmark of hard work and determination which became possible for him with the encouragement of his parents, mainly his mother. Younger of two brothers, Durgaprasad cleared his SCC with 10/10 percentile and 940 marks in Intermediate. He did his schooling and college education in institutions near Khammam.
Durgaprasad’s father Mohan Reddy is a farmer who married Narasamma though he knew she was blind by birth. Their first son Jayasimha Reddy is a second year law student in Hyderabad. Mohan Reddy comes from the remote Kaliveru in Cherla mandal which is Maoist affected. He shifted his family to Kaikondaigudem in Khammam for their education.
Though poverty made life tough, Durgaprasad never lost sight of his goal. He worked hard, staying in a room and studying with the sole aim of clearing JEE. He did not go to any coaching institute as he could not afford them and instead depended on Google for help. Meanwhile, his mother’s health began deteriorating and she died the day Durgaprasad’s examination was scheduled. It was probably the most difficult moment of his life.
“I am dedicating my achievement in JEE to my mother who stood by me all along in life. She was there for me to count on in all critical phases of my life,” he said, adding that he would like to become an IAS officer that his parents desired.
Mohan Reddy was all joy when he knew that his son had made it big in JEE. ‘’My children grew up with values and discipline which we imbibed early in their lives,” he said.