MAMATHA  TIRUMALA

A newborn baby brings joy to their parents but it was wrong in my case. Not all childhoods are beautiful because when children of my age were enjoying themselves with their parents, I had to stop going to school at an early age to support my father’s medical treatment. My mother used to do household chores to afford the living expenses of my family. My life turned upside down when I lost both my parents when I was 6.

With no one to take care of my responsibility, some kind people of my village came forward and sent me to Cherish Foundation orphanage which helped me to overcome all the difficulties by providing me with education, food, and shelter. When God takes one from you, he gives you a better one. In the same way, In Cherish orphanage, God gave me a father, Mr David Subramanyam. From the day I joined Cherish I never felt like an orphan because my dad played the role of both mother and father.

Initially, I was not inclined towards studies. But later I realized that education is the only answer to all my questions. I started working hard. My dad's motivation boosted confidence and determination in me which made me complete my double graduation(B.com computers and B.Ed social science) with distinction effortlessly. I eventually started pushing my boundaries to grow more and grow more. Having diverse interests and curiosity to learn made me choose sociology in my master's studies at Nizam college in Hyderabad.

There were several days where we would go to sleep on an empty stomach in our earlier days in Cherish. There used to be days when our orphanage wouldn’t get decent meals. We started receiving support which changed the lives of many children like me to live a better tomorrow. Today we proudly stand 9 postgraduates, 9 graduates, 3 civil aspirants, school children and many more.

 Raising in the orphanage and facing the hurdles is the driving force for me to choose UPSC. I also strongly believe that becoming IAS is the only way to bring a change in society and reach the needy. I hope my life inspires many students like me to dream big and achieve big. It is time we become our heroes and fight for ourselves. Please keep supporting the orphanages. Your little help brings a huge difference to us.