Poverty and one’s family background do not always hinder educational achievement, as N. Sonu, an orphan, has proved. Sonu, who lives in ‘Makkala Dhama’ of Sparsha Trust at Devanahalli, Bengaluru Rural District, secured 87.66% marks in II PU Science stream this year and hopes to become a software engineer.
Ten years ago, she was begging with her father in front of Gundanjaneya Temple at Sanjeevanagar, Hebbal. At five, she had migrated to Bengaluru with her father after her mother’s demise ten years ago. They stayed on the outskirts of the city and depended on construction work for livelihood.
Following complaints of her father assaulting her in an inebriated state by the neighbours to the police, her father took her and shifted to Gundanjaneya Temple at Sanjeevanagar in the city. Both of them started begging in front of the temple and took shelter there at night.
