DAVANAGERE: Sunitha (name changed), a fifth-standard student of a government school, would have stopped her studies and lost her precious childhood if she was married off as decided by her parents at Santhebennur village of Davanagere district.
However, villagers intervened bailed her out and helped her restart her education. Sunitha, who was staying with her grandparents at SBR Colony of the village, was not attending school for the last five months. Alarmed teachers started enquiring about reasons for her absence, and found out that her parents were planning to marry her, though she was underage.
The teachers took the help of villagers, convinced her parents and grandparents against the marriage and ensured that she returned to school.
Sunitha’s parents — the father is from Vijayapura and the mother from Gollarahalli village near Santhebennur — are daily wage workers. As they were poor and were unable to take care of their daughter, they had decided to marry Sunitha off, the teachers said.