BENGALURU: Among the students who appeared in the Pre-University college exam at the Malleshwaram centre on Friday, was a youth who wrote the test while lying down on a bed. Kannaiah (18), who suffers from muscular dystrophy and is unable to sit, refused to let the disorder bog him down, convincing even his parents that he wanted to pursue his dream.
Considering his request to write the exams as a special case, the Department of Pre-university Education cleared the way for his candidature, even if it meant that they would have to roll a bed at the centre. Kannaiah, a commerce student at BES PU College, did not face any medical complications till the age of about seven years. However, he then started developing problems in walking and his muscles weakened. After a detailed examination and several tests, doctors diagnosed the disorder as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle degeneration.
Undeterred by the challenges, a wheelchair-bound Kannaiah attended classes all these years and even secured 82 per cent marks in SSLC examinations. Though even his parents insisted that he should not write the exam after going through so much difficulty, he decided not to give up on his aim, he said.
“I should thank the department which allowed me to write the exams lying on the bed by considering my case as special. I am happy that the paper was easy and I am expecting to secure 70 per cent marks,” he said.
As he is unable to write on his own, he was provided a scribe to pen the answers, and got additional time of one hour. Kannaiah’s father, Mahesh Kumar K, who is a school teacher, said, “He is mentally strong and prepared well for the exams. He said he did well on the first day, and we hope he will excel in all the subjects.”