Personal tragedies couldn't stop Kokila from passing with flying colours

MADURAI: Though fate played its cruel trick by claiming the life of her father and leaving her mother bedridden, PK Kokila, a higher secondary student hailing from Kanniyakumari, was not ready to accept defeat.

Battling odds, she secured 573/600 marks in this year's Class 12 examination, and achieved a centum in four major subjects -- Commerce, Economics, Accountancy and Computer Science.

Kokila, who belongs to a marginalised community, lost her father to liver failure in 2019. Two years later, her mother, who had taken up the family's responsibility on her shoulders, met with an accident and got bedridden for over a year. During this time, Kokila's maternal aunt Mariammal came to the rescue, and helped her cope through the ordeal.

With Mariammal's assistance, Kokila continued her studies in Government Higher Secondary School, Kotttaram in Kanniyakumari, and clinched success.

Kokila expressed gratitude to Mariammal's family and said, "My life turned miserable after my father's death. He was an auto driver and the sole breadwinner of the family. He fell ill suddenly and left us one day."

"It was my aunt's encouragement that gave me the strength to study further and secure good marks. Currently, my mother and sister stay at my aunt's house in Madurai, and I am also planning to continue my studies there," she said, adding that her teachers also motivated her regularly saying that education was the weapon to overcome all odds.

"For me, regular study habits, thorough understanding of concepts, and learning during morning hours were the mantras to secure centum in all major subjects," opined Kokila, who now hopes to pursue B.Com and become a bank officer in the future.