After years of struggle, 20-year-old Sangavi has successfully cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and become the first person from her tribal community in Tamil Nadu to crack the national exam to pursue medical studies. Sangavi has come across several ordeals in her journey and when we look back at her journey after clearing the exam, she had lost her father Muniyappan and endured an unprecedented fight to secure a caste certificate.

Sangavi belongs to the Malasar tribal community and she is a native of Nanjappanur village in Madukkarai taluk. The Malasar community has been a designated Scheduled Tribe in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. She is also the first person from her community to complete Class 12 and her struggle to obtain the caste certificate was known across the state as she got the certificate after the intervention of the District Collector. She cracked the exam when her family has been economically suffering and while her father has passed away, her mother has been battling an eye disease. 

The results of the NEET 2021 were recently released and Sangavi had scored 202 out of a total of 720 marks. She had attempted the NEET in 2018 after completing Class 12, however, she had failed to clear and she was not able to pursue higher studies as she didn't possess a caste certificate. According to reports, the local revenue officials had said that they could not able to establish Sangavi's connection to the Malasar tribe, as both her parents didn't have caste certificates.

She struggled a lot in acquiring her caste certificate and last year, her struggle has become the talk of the town and she had eventually received a Scheduled Tribe certificate after the intervention of the District Collector. Speaking to the media, Sangavi said that in her two-year struggle to acquire the caste certificate, she had lost her father and her mother had undergone eye surgery. After acquiring the certificate, she had enrolled for NEET coaching at a private coaching institute in Saravanampatti, Coimbatore, earlier this year. However, she had again braced up a setback as she could not continue her coaching class in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown. 

She said that she didn't have electricity at home and her mother was suffering from eye problems. As she was taking care of her mother, Sangavi found it difficult to attend classes. She said, "Even while writing the exam, I was sad that I had lost my father." Her father had supported her in her struggle in acquiring the caste certificate and she got the certificate a month after he passed away. As she has been chasing her dream, she has expressed that she always wanted to be a doctor from her childhood after seeing several people struggling to get treatment.

She said that she dreamt of becoming a doctor as she wanted to serve the people in my village or those in other villages who are facing ordeals in availing of medical facilities. She expressed her desire of pursuing medical studies in a government institution as she had cleared the NEET and added there are many people in her village who do not send their children to school. These children go to daily wage work and she felt that she should come forward so that many children will follow her. By citing that she is very proud of being a native of such a village, Sangavi expressed her hope that more children will follow her path. 

Speaking to the media, Sangavi's mother Vasanthamani said that she is very proud of her daughter for becoming the first person in her community to complete Class 12 and to clear NEET. Vasanthamani has said that the village rests far away from the public health centre and several people in the community had died of illness before being taken to the healthcare facility. Her village consists of 40 families and her triumph over the national exam had earned her commendations not only from her village but from across the state. 

In her battle to clear the exam, Sangavi had got help and support from several people across the state and after cracking the exam, she has appealed to the fellow aspirants not to end their lives by committing suicide. The reports say that Sangavi has a high chance of securing a medical seat under the 7.5% reservation of the Tamil Nadu government.