In a shanty, under a street light, Alwar girl scores 83.22%

JAIPUR: Coming from an under-privileged background, Indra Lohar is anything but another street child. The 18-year-old, who belongs to the nomadic tribe Garia Lohar, is an inspiration to the children of her community. Living on a roadside shanty and studying under the street light, Indra scored 83.22% in the RBSC science stream exam and is now looking forward to going to college.
The eldest of five children, Indra lives on a roadside shanty along with her parents and four siblings at Gandhi Circle in Kahtumar tehsil in Alwar. She belongs to a family of blacksmiths, that earns around Rs 100 a day. Against all odds, Indra spent 14 to 18 hours a day on the footpath – studying. Her only support being her second-hand books, limited note-books, one ball-pen and the nearby street light. Her strength came from her parents.
“During the day, it was hard to concentrate because of the traffic and my father’s noisy work. So, I preferred to study tough chapters under the street light from 11 pm to 5 am. My parents would sit by my side while I solved science equations. During winters, it was difficult as we had woolens only enough for three out of the seven members of our family,” said Indra.
Her sheer hardwork brought out a very promising report card — 90 marks in zoology, 89 marks in Hindi, 82 marks each in English and chemistry and 72 marks in physics. “I want to study medicine, but I know it is very expensive,” said Indra, with a little disappointment. “I can also study BSC,” she added. With a little hesitation, she said, “If someone can help me, I promise to perform well.”
She studied in a government school till class VIII. Her keen interest in studies was spotted by social activist Shiv Singh who admitted her to Aravali Public School for free. At the time of the admission, she had assured the school authorities of a good result – a promise she kept by scoring 72.8% in class X and 83.22% in Class XII.
Despite her good performance, which made her eligible for free education, hostel and a scooty as per government scheme, she is not one of the beneficiaries. Her father Radhakishan claims she is the only one in her community who would be going to college.
Treated as untouchables in the society, life seems to be changing for them since the result was declared. “Many people have asked me about my daughter and congratulated me. The success of my daughter seems to have blurred the caste divide,” said her father. Radhakishan dreams that his other children will also follow in Indra’s footsteps.