Blindness has not dampen his spirit

Blindness has not dampen the reading spirit of this partially blind C Manjunath. Hailing from poor family amidst all odds he completed his MA, MPhil and presently is perusing his Ph.D.

Being a native of Pavagada Taluk in Tumkur District, Manjunath has seen many ups and downs in his life. His father Chandrachari, a vegetable vendor and mother Susheelamma, house wife, were not in a position to provide education for Manjunath and his another younger brother.

But, swimming courageously against the difficulties, facing the challenges with a smile on face, Manjunath who can read only from one eye in the distance on 6-7 inches, has completed his schooling in the local government school of Tumkur staying in hostel.

When, he obtained first class marks in the SSLC, it increased his spirit and willingness to read. Later, with the help of relatives and donors, he managed to complete his degree in Manday government college by scoring good marks.

From Mandya he shifted to Mysore, and completed his MA and Mphil in University of Mysore by scoring 67.9 per cent in MA. He desires become to lecturer and has even excelled in KAS Preliminary Exam.

In between, Manjunath father has expired few years ago. His mother is settled with his another son, who is an auto driver in Mandya.

Now, he is doing his PhD at Political Science Department, in University of Mysore staying in a hostel. But, due to financial problems, he is unable to bear the expenses of his PhD. Noticing his struggle, Mysore District Congress Leader Arungowda handed over him a cheque of Rs 15,000 and assured him of bearing expenses of Rs 1,000 every month.