Life is a struggle filled with challenges and obstacles, but perseverance and determination can lead to growth and success. Here is the story of  Pinki Haryan, who begged on the streets and scavenged for food with her parents in Mcleodganj, Himachal Pradesh. After, twenty years later, armed with a Chinese medical degree, she is burning the midnight oil to pass the exam that will allow her to practice medicine in India.

In 2004, Lobsang Jamyang, a Tibetan refugee monk and the director of Dharamshala-based charitable trust, spotted Haryan begging. Days later, he visited the slum cluster at Charan Khud and recognised the girl. It was difficult for Haryan to convince her parents, particularly her father, Kashmiri Lal, to allow her to pursue her education but finally, he agreed and she gained admission to Dayanand Public School in Dharamshala. She was the first student at a hostel for destitute children established by the charitable trust in 2004.

Ajay Srivastava, president of the NGO Umang Foundation and associated with Jamyang for the past 19 years, noted that initially, Haryan missed her home and parents. However, she remained focused on her studies to get out of poverty. After the results were declared, it proved her dedication.

She passed her senior secondary examination and successfully cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), which is an all-India entrance exam for undergraduate medical courses, according to Srivastava.

However, the high fees of private medical colleges kept those doors closed for her. With assistance from the Tong-Len Charitable Trust in the United Kingdom, she gained admission to a prestigious medical college in China in 2018 and has recently returned to Dharamshala after completing her MBBS.

After a 20-year journey, Haryan is now a qualified doctor eager to serve the underprivileged and improve their lives.

(With PTI Inputs)