In memory of her child, woman gifts doctor to TN

CHENNAI: Her sisters describe Charumathi as painfully shy, but unwavering in her mission. After cracking NEET with a score of 370, she secured a seat at the Government Medical College in Thiruvarur. Charumathi prematurely believed her troubles had ended. Having studied at a government school in Kelambakkam, Charumathi took private coaching classes for Rs 1 lakh, for which her eldest sister Sankari had to borrow from private lenders. 

Charumathi stays with her mother, father, sister, brother-in-law and niece in a 310 sq ft house at a Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) resettlement colony at Perumbakkam. The family had resettled there from a slum in Saidapet. Just months after Charumathi got admission to a medical college, her father, who runs a juice cart, was diagnosed with throat cancer.

Soon, the lockdown was announced, putting them out of work, even as Charumathi’s college fee payment deadline grew nearer. Moved after reading about Charumathi’s NEET performance in an Express article in July last year, retired television news producer Preetha A Anand and her family decided to extend financial assistance to Charumathi. They also provided her books and clothes. The stage was set for a lifelong bond between the families.

Preetha lost her only daughter Maya to an accident in 2002. Eighteen years later, Maya’s friends from school still help deprived people every year to honour Maya’s memory. When Preetha told the girls about Charumathi, they understood what they had to do that year to honour Maya.

“They made plans to take care of her fees for that year. Maya’s friends put together Rs 55,000 and transferred it to Charumathi’s sister’s account. Later, the girls understood that it was not enough and they decided to fund the medical student’s education for the whole five years,” said Preetha. Charumathi’s sister Sankari says, “Preetha ma’am and others have supported us to tide over many problems. It’s a great relief just knowing that they are there.”