Quarry kid makes it to law school

Updated on: Wednesday, June 22, 2011

My past can’t tie me down,’ wrote Karthika Annamalai, who cracked the Common Law Admission Test 2011, on her school website. The post comes from a girl who overcame severe odds to join an elite group – that of CLAT achievers. In her childhood, Karthika followed her mother down into the steep quarry. She would sit a few metres from her mother, watching her shatter stones. A heart-shaped mark on Karthika’s forehead, formed when a piece of stone hit her, is still a reminder of what life might have held for her. Now Karthika is headed to the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, one of India’s top law schools. “One day, I want to work for the UN Human Rights Watch,” she says. “I decided years ago that I wanted to be a human rights lawyer, fighting against many social injustices in India. I also want to join politics. When I see politicians today, I despair. They have so much power to change things, but they hardly do anything.”

The erstwhile student of Shanti Bhavan was picked up by the school at the age of four and educated by them. She had to travel almost five hours to and from her school. “We have been taught to face challenges and believe in ourselves. It’s ingrained in us now,” she says.

Quarry kid makes it to law school

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