Shunned child marriage, to reach dizzy heights

Hyderabad: Conquering social stigmas and fighting against all odds, four girls from remote hamlets in Adilabad districts are now beaming with pride after scaling 18,200 feet high mountain. A team of 12 students hailing from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), all students of Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Gurukulam Institutions, conquered the mountain thus scripting a compelling story of grit and never give up attitude in the face of abject poverty. The 12-member team, consisting of four girls and eight boys, conquered the mountain on Friday, and became the first contingent of students from primitive tribal communities from Telangana to do so.

“I never imagined that I would go to college and go on to become a mountaineer,” Maheshwari, a student of the Tribal Welfare Residential Junior College, Hayath Nagar said. “I would have ended up a victim of child marriage, if not for tribal welfare residential schools and colleges. I feel very proud that I hoisted the Indian flag on top of the 18, 200 feet Lakpakanchy mountain in Sikkim,” she said with tears rolling down her cheeks. In recent years, Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TTWREIS) students have been leaving their footprints not only in mountaineering, but also in academics by getting admitted into the prestigious institutions of higher learning including University of Delhi, Indian Maritime University, IITs, NITs and medical colleges.

TTWREIS Secretary Dr RS Praveen Kumar congratulated the team members and said it was truly remarkable that even students from PVTG communities were excelling in mountaineering. Dr Kumar also thanked Mahesh Dutt Ekka, Principal Secretary, Tribal Welfare, for his support.