Sachin Tendulkar comes to medical student’s aid

Nineteen-year-old Dipti Vishvasrao, a resident of Zarye village in Ratnagiri district, is on the course to become the first woman doctor from her village

Nineteen-year-old Dipti Vishvasrao, a resident of Zarye village in Ratnagiri district, is on the course to become the first woman doctor from her village.

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Even though Vishvasrao has been a brilliant student, her goal has never been too easy. Despite her modest means, with the support of her farmer father and homemaker mother, she worked hard for the examinations.

During the lockdown, Vishvasrao would travel a kilometre everyday, as her village is remotely located, so she could get a network connection to be able to continue her studies online. Her hard work paid rich dividends as she performed exceptionally well in her board examinations, and also successfully cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to secure admission in the Government Medical College at Akola.

But financial constraints were creating hurdles for Vishvasrao. She was unable to afford the expenses for the medical college. While her relatives contributed to the fees, she was still short of funds for the hostel and other expenses.

However, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, through his foundation, along with officials of Seva Sahyog Foundation (SSF), ensured that the required funds were arranged within a short span of time.

Tendulkar, through his foundation and Vidyarthi Vikas Yojna (VVY) – a project of SSF – has helped several such beneficiaries. Their project works towards providing financial support to students from the underprivileged section of society to pursue higher education. It also provides support to schools in remote areas to upgrade their educational infrastructure. Over the past 12 years, SSF has supported 833 students across four states and 24 districts.

After receiving the aid, Vishvasrao in a video message said, “I am thankful to Sachin Tendulkar Foundation for awarding me the scholarship. The scholarship has lightened my financial burden which allows me to focus more on my studies. My lifelong dream of becoming a doctor is now becoming a reality at Government Medical College, Akola. I promise I will work hard and one day I will be able to help other brilliant students for fulfilling their dreams just as the Foundation helped me.”