Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email New home, a brighter future
Rizalman Hammim
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M. Priyaranjini and her family thanking Datuk T. Rajagopal (right) for their new home. |
SEREMBAN: She had to study under the streetlights because her family’s squatter house did not have electricity.
Another kid might have used that as an excuse for doing badly in school but not M. Priyaranjini.
"There was no electricity at our squatter house and I was forced to study under the nearby streetlights but I was determined to succeed in my studies so that I can help take care of my family," she said.
Priyaranjini’s determination paid off when she scored 7As in the 2005 Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and emerged as her school’s top student.
Her success in the face of adversity did not go unnoticed.
Touched by her determination, radio station, THR Raaga, organised a fund-raising initiative to provide a better and more comfortable home for Priyaranjini and her family.
The six-month initiative, which was launched in November 2005, managed to raise RM33,800 in donations.
The money was put into a trust fund and was subsequently used to buy a low-cost apartment in Seremban 2.
Yesterday, Priyaranjini, her mother M. Sumathi and her four siblings, aged between 5 and 13, received the keys to their new home from state Unity, Consumer Affairs, Plantations and Commodity executive committee chairman Datuk T. Rajagopal.
The windfall comes as a great relief for the family as their plight had worsened considerably since Priyaranjini’s father A. Muthusamy died of heart failure last year.
"I can now concentrate on my studies. Now, I can live comfortably with my family," said the excited 14-year-old who is now a Form Two student at SMK King George V.
The single-minded girl has already set a target of scoring 8As in the Penilaian Menengah Rendah examination next year.
Rajagopal, who is also the state MIC chairman, thanked THR Raaga and the Malaysian public for helping to raise the funds.
"I would also like to thank RB Land Sdn Bhd for everything they did to make this possible, including giving a discount on the apartment. Besides the apartment, we also bought a computer for Priyaranjini with the funds raised," Rajagopal said.
He said the MIC would continue to monitor and support Priyaranjini and her siblings in their studies and would provide them with books and equipment to ensure that they succeed in their studies.
