On Monday, K. Preethi and A. Vignesh attended an orientation for new students at the Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore. The two 17-year-olds from Chennai — children of mentally-challenged women supported by The Banyan, an NGO working in the field of mental health and poverty — are there to pursue a degree in social work.
Preethi, who scored 820 marks in her class XII exams, has always wanted to pursue this course. “Once I finish, I will do my Master’s and then set up an NGO for children to help fund their studies,” she said.
A little excited and a little apprehensive, Preethi said she wanted to leave Chennai, to experience living and studying in another city. Vignesh originally wanted to pursue engineering, but his score of 639 was not quite enough. “But I liked this course too,” he said.
Both teens will be staying at the college’s hostel, which Vignesh said was very good. Their mothers, and C. Sagaya Mary, a social worker from The Banyan, accompanied them and help them get settled in.
Ms. Mary said that Preethi’s mother had left her alcoholic husband and had then been rescued and treated by The Banyan. She was only united with her daughter in 2008. Working as part of the housekeeping staff at a company now, Preethi’s mother said she was eager for her daughter to study and do well. Vignesh’s mother, who was originally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had been abandoned by her husband and had been very ill with two small children. She is now a healthcare worker with The Banyan and said she was very happy that her son was in college.
Two companies and some friends of Ms. Mary had come together to contribute towards the students’ fees and other expenses, said Ms. Mary.
