PUDUCHERRY: The thin zone between dream and reality is dawn. And, R Manikandan has been treading this zone for over two years by earnestly preparing for his medical entrance examination, watching every night melt into morning.
His dream was to become a doctor, but that has turned into a nightmare as he is now languishing in a no-man’s land because of a border technicality. Manikandan lives in Puranasingupalayam (PS), a border village that cuts across both the Union Territory of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district.
The son of agriculture labourers, he scored 500 of the total 720 in NEET this year. But he failed to get a medical seat under the 7.5 per cent reservation because he did not study in a government school in Tamil Nadu.
First to reach doors of college education, but...
Manikandan was one of the brightest students of the Pavendar Bharatidasan Government Higher Secondary School in PS palayam. His humble home, which has only a thatched roof, is just 200 metres from school, where he studied from Class 6 to Class 12. Sriram says Manikandan is a first generation student whose quest for knowledge had taken him till the doorstep of college education.
But he has not been able to climb up those steps because both the sides have shut their doors. He was denied entry into Puducherry’s Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) merit list because officially he is a resident of Tamil Nadu. And, he could not claim his seat in TN quota because he studied in Puducherry school.
“The student is very bright and by sheer hardwork and no external coaching, has secured these high scores in NEET,” says the teacher, adding that he was many a times amazed by the answers he gave in classes. “Considering his family and economic background, scoring 500 in NEET is praiseworthy and needs to be supported.” Sriram has now approached the Puducherry government, seeking relaxation of rules as a special case to accommodate Manikandan in the CENTAC merit list.
He has also written to Lt Governor and other authorities, urging them to relax the rules of residency and grant him a Puducherry residency certificate, making him eligible to apply for MBBS admission here. “A favourable action from the authorities would inspire all government school students to perform well in NEET in the years to come,” Sriram adds.