SANGAREDDY: While securing a seat in any premier institute across the country is no easy task, the added challenge of no sight could not deter a young woman from Zaheerabad from achieving her dreams and bagging a seat in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore.
Ever since her childhood, K Shivani, the second daughter of K Venugopal Reddy and Vijayalakshmi, showed a keen interest in studies. Her father decided to get her enrolled at the Devnar School for the Blind in Begumpet, Hyderabad, where she studied from classes 1 to 10, which she passed with an 8.3 GPA. Her success in Class 10 further fuelled her determination. With the encouragement of her parents, she continued her education at Master Minds College in Zaheerabad, scoring 921 out of 1,000 in Intermediate and becoming the eighth-highest scorer in her college.
Speaking to TNIE, Shivani says, “I was blind from birth. As my elder and younger sisters were studying in school, I also wanted to study. My parents enrolled me in the Devnar School for the Blind in Hyderabad. After passing Class 10 with good marks, I became more confident and completed Intermediate in Braille script.”
Shivani’s goal was to pursue an MBA and secure a job in a reputable company. To achieve this, she decided to take the CAT and received online coaching from the Chennai-based Mockat. She took the CAT exams in November 2023, scoring high marks, and attended interviews at 21 colleges in January and February. She received admission offers from 16 IIMs and ultimately chose to join IIM Indore.
Expressing confidence, Shivani says, “After completing the two-year course and passing with good marks, I aim to bring honour to my parents and Zaheerabad. My ambition is to work in a higher position in a good company.”
Her father Venugopal says he feels immense pride and joy seeing Shivani doing well in life. “Despite being born with a physical disability, Shivani’s active nature and interest in studies led us to enroll her in the Devnar School for the Blind. I believed in her potential and encouraged her. She has upheld my belief by securing a seat at IIM. I am proud of her achievements and confident that she will excel in her MBA and secure a good position in a reputed firm.”