Vellore Institute of Technology comes forward to help flower boy for higher education

Vellore: Young Lingan is on cloud nine. The vendor of jasmine garlands in Sevoor village near Arani of Thiruvannamalai district has now realised his ambitious dream to pursue degree in agriculture, as the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) has come forward to gift him not only a B.Sc (Agri) seat but also provide him with hostel and food totally free of cost for the entire duration of the four-year course.

VIT Chancellor Dr G Viswanathan handed over the seat-allotment letter to the young man at his chamber in the University, while Vice-president Dr Sekar Viswanathan looked on proudly as it was he who recommended the case to his benevolent father after reading in Deccan Chronicle (19 June) about Lingan’s sad plight of having to sell jasmine garlands to eke out living along with his grandmother and the polio-stricken grandfather.

The VIT leadership was impressed with Lingan emerging the topper at school in all the classes right up to the 12th (plus-two) and decided to offer him the free seat, plus free hostel facilities, under the STARS (Support the Advancement of Rural Students) scheme.

Not just that, Sekar Viswanathan even arranged to have the boy picked up from his house in the village and brought to the University for receiving the seat allotment letter.

While Dr Sekar Viswanathan expressed happiness at being able to help Lingan under the STARS, the boy seemed dazed by the sudden turn of fortunes in his favour. “I am mighty thrilled at this. I will certainly do my best and make the University proud of me”, Lingan said.

“This boy will come up well in life. In fact, this (seat at VIT) will be the turning point for him and his family”, said Dr Viswanathan, while complimenting DC for bringing the case to VIT notice.