Telangana: Autorickshaw Driver's Son Secures Admission In IIM Ahmedabad, Aspires To Become Entrepreneur

Laxmikanth Reddy's father dreamed of seeing his children study in convent schools and make it big in the corporate sector. Reddy fulfilled his father's wish by getting admission in a convent school and securing a seat in IIM Ahmedabad for a PGPX course, where he began his classes on Thursday, April 28.

Sharing his story of willpower and hard work, Reddy said he never got lucky with money, but God blessed him always. A native of Telangana's Godavarikhani, he comes from a family of farmers. As farming became unpredictable, his father started driving auto-rickshaw, which he continued for years. However, he left it later to paralysis a few years ago, The Times of India reported.

"I studied in Telugu medium till 7th standards. Later, my father arranged money to get me to the convent school where he would drop off other kids. I got a full scholarship to study science in a junior college. Later, I earned a scholarship to study at Sreenidhi Institute of Science & Technology," Reddy said, who did his B.Tech in mechanical engineering in 2016.

Offered Tuitions To Meet Expenses

With his father suffering from poor health, he was forced to take aid from the community and offer tuition to meet his expenses. The community provided him lodging and boarding, but he had to travel 28 km daily.

Reddy got a job in a firm for software development in Hyderabad. In 2019, he launched his startup with friends to promote farming and terrace garden. "The COVID-19 pandemic kindled my dream to study further and earn a management degree. I worked hard in 2020 and cracked CAT in last year. It was a dream come true. It's already been four days on the IIM-A campus, but the feeling is yet to sink in."

Want To Give House To Parents

"I still remember the moment when I insisted my father join me on stage in accepting the best meritorious student award given by the school where he came daily to drop and pick up children," says Reddy. The 27-year-old wants to give a house to his parents after graduating from IIM-A.

The Telangana native stated that once he completes his PGPX next year, his priority would be to buy a house for his parents. "They stalled the dream to fund my studies. I would first opt for a job and earn enough money to provide for them. Later, I want to venture out on my own and realise my dream to become an entrepreneur," he said.

Reddy added that his community and his sister have remained his pillars of strength.

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