Karnataka youth wins bronze at Skill Olympics

Bengaluru: Twenty-year-old Kiran Sudhakar, an electrician hailing from Manjarpalke village at Karkala, had never dreamt of travelling even outside Karnataka, let alone go abroad. He lost his father at a young age and the family had to struggle to eke out a living.

However, fate willed him to represent the country at the recent Skill Olympics held at Abu Dhabi and he went on to win a bronze medal.

 Kiran went on to defeat his counterparts from countries such as Brazil, Russia, Germany and Switzerland to achieve the fete under the prototype modeling category.

“Post SSLC, I was ready to take up different jobs for daily wages in order to contribute to the survival of my family, even though I scored 88 per cent in the exams,” recalled Kiran who then thought further studies was of no use.

The youngster, who lost his father while he was in fourth grade  was sent to school to complete his SSLC only after his elder siblings Pawan and Shweta dropped out of school to work for daily wages in order to support the family and his education.

“My life has always taken unexpected turns, both ups and downs, at frequent intervals,” said Kiran, who aspires to become an automobile designer, elaborating on the hardships he had to face throughout his life.

It was only when his brother-in-law Anil informed the family about Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) offering free training to deserving students to make them employable, the family agreed to send Kiran to Bengaluru.

Mentors at the institute who identified his inborn talent ensured that he represented the city and the region at the India Skills Competition, the only gateway to the Skill Olympics from the country.

“Kiran has always shown unparalleled desire to work and learn more right from the beginning of the three-year course at TTTI. He worked for 10-12 hours on a daily basis and went through intense practice sessions for more than six months which helped him win these laurels, said Bhaskar Singh, mentor and Deputy Chief Expert in prototype modeling at TTTI.

Recalling his experience at the WorldSkills Competition, Kiran said, “The opportunity to mingle with people of the same caliber from different parts of the globe has helped me come out of my introvert character. Working towards the best is what I believe in and the rest would somehow happen,” he said with a smile.When asked about his aim in life, Kiran said, “My mother has been working a lot since for our welfare. I should reach a commendable position to help her stay at home happily.”

The youngster who designed an underwater vehicle for the competition this year has already started polishing his skills further to represent India in the next edition of the Skill Olympics, scheduled to be held at Kazan, Russia.