Jayalalithaa donated Rs.1 lakh towards Nagarathna’s education after reading her story in Express. On the right side, 32-year-old Bengaluru-based advocate Nagarathna. | EPS
BENGALURU: Once a beggar and a victim of circumstances, she now fights for truth and justice. Bengaluru-based advocate Nagarathna R says her life is a gift from Jayalalithaa. “She was the one who made me an advocate,’’ she adds.
Explaining her story, Nagarathna (32) said she, along with her family members, used to beg on the streets of Mysuru. “I studied till Class 10 and passed with 65 per cent marks. We did not have any house. So I used to beg and help my parents along with going to school. In the evening, I used to study under streetlights,”she says.
When Nagarathna passed her SSLC in 2001, a news report on her appeared in Express and its sister concern Dinamani’s Chennai edition. “The story caught Jayalalithaa’s attention. She told AIADMK leader in Karnataka, V Pugazhendhi, that she was willing to help me financially. Pugazhendhi came to Mysuru in search of me,’’ she adds.
Later Nagarathna went to Chennai along with Pugazhendhi. “I was made to stay at the big Pandyan hotel. We had an appointment in the evening. Jayalalithaa listened to my story attentively and immediately gave a `1 lakh cheque for my education. She also assured me of help if I ever required,” the advocate says.
Nagarathna put the money in a bank and, with the interest earned, she completed her PUC II. “Later I did my LLB. Today, I am practising at the city civil court. It’s all because of her,’’ she adds. Nagarathna wanted to meet Jayalalithaa once again, just to thank her . But that will now remain an unfulfilled wish.
