Hyderabad: In a small tribal hamlet in Suryapet, 17-year-old Anjali Banothu is preparing for a future in the field of atoms and energy. Raised by her mother, a daily wage labourer who earns just a few hundred rupees a day, Anjali scored an exceptional 991 out of 1,000 in her second-year Intermediate exams. She now aspires to become a nuclear physicist — a first not just for her family, but for her entire thanda.Anjali lost her father at the age of five, leaving her mother, Kranthi, to raise two children single-handedly. Working as a farm labourer, Kranthi earns between Rs 200 and Rs 400 a day to support the family. Despite financial hardship, Anjali has remained focused on her studies.Her interest in nuclear science began in class 9 after reading a lesson on atomic energy. “Since then, I have wanted to become a nuclear physicist,” she told TOI. She is currently preparing for entrance tests and hopes to study at one of the Indian Institutes of Technology or the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research. “I want to study materials science and metallurgical engineering, and I dream of working at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre,” added the 17-year-old.Anjali, who is currently a student at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Warangal under the Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TTWREIS), said she is confident of qualifying for the JEE Advanced exam. “I have already taken the JEE Main exam, and I am confident that I will get a good score,” she added.She said that she wants to secure a place at a govt institution, as her family cannot afford private education.She completed her schooling from Class 5 to 10 at a govt high school in Thungathurthi in the Suryapet district. She secured a place at the CoE for Intermediate through an entrance test.“I was never even told how my father died. I eventually stopped asking about him. Now, I want to study hard and get a good job so I can support my mother,” she added.Kranthi, 40, recalls the challenges she faced in raising her children following the death of her husband, who fell from a wall at work around a decade ago. “Since then, I have been working as a labourer. All I want is to see my children succeed,” she said. The family owns just half an acre of land in their village.
