This child bride cracked NEET UG 2017, is a mother of 2, and is set to appear for NEET PG 2024
This child bride cracked NEET UG 2017, is a mother of 2, and is set to appear for NEET PG 2024
Rupa Yadav, the child bride from a small village in Rajasthan, hit the headlines after clearing NEET UG 2017. Yadav is now a full-time doctor, a mother of two children, and a NEET PG 2024 aspirant. She is doing all this while being commissioned as a medical officer at a primary health care centre at the Khariya village of Nagaur district.
NEET PG 2024 was postponed last week by the National Board of Examinations (NBE). The new dates are expected to be out soon. “I have been preparing tirelessly for the entrance exam. The night before the NEET exam, I woke up at 2 am to nurse my eight-month-old son and saw the news update flashing on my phone. I thought it was fake but then when everyone started sharing this, I realised the exam is not happening in the morning,” said Yadav.
‘At least they cancelled the exam before it was held’
Yadav is anything but angry over the cancellation of the NEET PG 2024. “It’s okay. I will get more time to prepare. At least, they have cancelled it before the exam (and not after it was held), otherwise, it would have been disturbing,” said Yadav.
Her elder sister, who is also her sister-in-law, and her daughter look after Yadav’s children when she is on duty – between 8 am-2 pm. “Once I return, I take charge. I also teach my niece. I always carry my books to my workplace. So, whenever I get time, at any hour of the day, I prepare for the NEET PG,” said Yadav, who is confident of achieving a better rank this time.
Master of multitasking
Isn’t it too much on her plate? “No. Not at all. Earlier, I had to work on farms or slog in the kitchen. I am a hardworking woman and learning to utilise my time. The only challenge is when my son wakes up two or three times during the night. It is then that my sleep gets compromised. Rest is manageable,” she said.
Yadav wanted to take medicine as a specialisation, however, after suffering health issues during the pregnancy, she has now decided to become a gynaecologist. “My first child was born during the pandemic (2020) when I was in pre-medical (fourth year) at the Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner. Before her, I faced miscarriages. I realised how it drains a woman's health," she said.
Pregnant during Covid-19 pandemic
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the seniors, she said, were busy taking care of patients while the juniors were in the hostel. As classes were held offline, nobody except her roommates knew about her pregnancy.
Her delivery didn’t stop her from taking her pre-medical (fourth year) exams. “My girl was born through C-section and it was not an easy pregnancy. Yet, I decided to take up my semester exams just a week after my delivery. My teachers were supportive. The only issue I faced was during the exam as I found it difficult to sit with stitches,” said the 27-year-old.
Married off at eight
A bright student, Yadav was married at the age of eight to Shankar Lal, who was four years older than her. She was in Class 10 when she started living with her in-laws. Her zeal for education was noticed when she scored 84 per cent in Class 10. Despite having limited resources, the family agreed to let her pursue further studies.
However, Yadav had to finish household chores and farm work before she left for school that was 6 km away from her village — at Kareri in Chomu near Jaipur. Determined to become a doctor after her uncle died of cardiac arrest due to lack of medical assistance, Yadav scored 84 per cent in Class 12.
In her first attempt at the NEET UG, she scored 415 marks and was ranked 23,000. However, she did not want to leave Rajasthan. She re-appeared in 2017 after a year-long coaching at Kota. She scored 503.
“Although I got a fee waiver, my husband had to work for the additional expenses," she said.
Her husband has shifted from their native village to support Yadav and now runs a shop near their house.
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