My pearl city connection with pearl drops in my eyes !

The grey clouds had covered the firmament.The overcast skies spelt doom and as the rains lashed,a middle aged man sat crestfallen beneath a huge neem tree.The world seemed to have come to an end.

It was the month of August .A spritely young teen was awaiting her plus two results.The D Day arrived and the young girl scored a whopping 98% .The family was jubilant and yet apprehensive too.The hard work had paid results but the dividends were uncertain.The entry into a Govt Medical college is not easy.Years of hard work and steadfast determination is required to secure an unreachable cutoff and get placed into a medical school.Yet ! the girl had dreams and a passion to serve.She was confident and unsure at the same time.

The rank letter arrived and she was called for counselling.She belonged to the open category and as luck would have it,she managed to enter the list of candidates ,eligible for a seat in a government college.A medical college seat on merit is prestigious and when moolahs play in securing admission in private colleges,the little girl was on the threshhold of making history.A couple of years earlier,her elder sibling had also secured a payment seat through Govt Quota.So ! a free seat was indeed going to ease the burden on the parents.

With aspirations in mind and a morose look on the faces,the protective parents accompanied the girl to the counselling centre .The venue was the Directorate of Medical Education .A Huge screen displayed the seat matrix.Thousands of aspirants compete each year for about 1500 medical seats in the Govt colleges in Tamilnadu.

The girl awaited her turn.With each seat being taken up.the three hearts skipped a beat each time.The city colleges were gone,the suburbs went too,the not so distant ones were also grabbed up.As the enthusiasm started waning she was called.......A moment that was to be etched in her memory for ever,The tiny girl walked upto the stage to complete the formalities.She had no choice and as the bewildered parents looked on,the girl accepted the only remaining seat and the mikes announced "She has been allotted Thoothukudi Medical College."

I was dumbfounded and shaken.Yet ! I slowly regained my composure.It was a bold decision taken by a girl who had secured admission in the prestigious Anna University just two days back.She surrendered the BE seat in favour of the MBBS seat.

Thoothukudi medical college is right on the Tuticorin Thirunelveli highway.The campus is beautifully lined with huge Neem trees.Two days later,we accompanied our daughter to Tuticorin.The admission was a mere formality.As I went around the town shopping ,my husband waited outside the girls hostel.The lil girl was the apple of Papa's eyes and it was difficult for him to come to terms with the separation.The ophthalmologist wept inconsolably,so much that I had a tough time bringing him back to Chennai.My little girl was an epitome of strength and courage.She did not cry in front of her parents.She must have wept on her pillows and a mother did the same too.

The ophthalmologist moved around in dark glasses for atleast a month and at the very mention of his girls,even today ,he loves to apply MOISOL......My girl is now in her Final MBBS ,a mature woman and our pride.....and as I write I think I need to Refresh my Tears .....
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