E-Paper
Anima lands in Mumbai, dreams close to fruition
Polio-stricken from a young age, physically-challenged Anima overcame her disability and financial constraints to secure admission at a Mumbai medical college.
Anima Minz, the 19-year-old physically-challenged tribal girl who cracked the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), had a flying start towards realising her dream of becoming a doctor as she flew to Mumbai on Thursday to take admission at the Grant Medical College and Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy Hospital, Mumbai.
Anima’s story was reported by HT in its August 31 edition. Polio-stricken from a young age, she nevertheless managed to crack the NEET exam and got a call from Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Hospital to secure admission by September 3. However, due to financial constraints — her father is a daily-wage labourer who often migrates to other states for work—she was finding it difficult to finance her education.
However, the Jharkhand high court and the chief minister’s office took cognizance of the report and Raghubar Das offered her `2 lakh from the state exchequer to complete her medical education. Moreover, dozens wrote to HT, expressing their willingness to help Anima meet her admission fee at the college.
Accompanied by father, Basudeo Minz and her mentor Manoj Kumar, who runs a coaching institute for the underprivileged, Anima flew to Mumbai, the first person from Latehar’s Champa village to travel by aeroplane.
“It was quite thrilling, though I was a bit nervous and petrified when the flight took off from the runway,” Anima said.
Speaking to HT over the phone from Mumbai, Basudeo said, “Eventually, I am seeing a dream coming true. My daughter will become a doctor and relieve us of all our woes and hardships. The moment she starts earning, I will stop travelling as a migrant labourer and spend time with family.”
