Child bride set to become doctor with support from in-laws
She was a child bride, married at eight and sent to her husband’s home before she passed Class 10.
But before she turns 21 on July 5 this year, Rupa Yadav of Jaipur’s Kareri village will get admission to a government medical college in Rajasthan to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.
Her story reflects how she emerged from the shadows of child marriage to make a career for herself, with support from her husband and in-laws.
Rupa was in Class 3 when she was married to 12-year-old Shankar Lal, then a seventhstandard student, during the wedding of elder sister Rukma Devi. The sister wedded Shankar’s elder brother.
She moved into to her husband’s home after writing the Class 10 exam. She was with her in-laws when the results were declared. She scored 84%.
There was no school in Shankar’s village. But because Rupa wanted to study, he got her admitted to a private school, 6km away. Besides, women in the neighbourhood told her motherin-law, who is unlettered, that she should allow Rupa to continue her education.
After passing Class 12, she went to college for a BSc degree and took the All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) to study medicine. Her test ranking was 23,000 and she didn’t qualify for an MBBS course.
“Someone suggested I go to Kota to get coached for the competition. But I wasn’t sure if my in-laws will agree to that,” she said.
But her husband and his elder brother agreed to send her to Kota. “They began driving autorickshaws to fund my expenses,” she said.