Girl found in Tirupati thornbush scores 985 in Intermediate exams in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: A girl who was abandoned as a newborn in a thornbush has scored 985 out of 1000 in her Intermediate exams, overcoming a difficult start to life with hard work and determination.
Pooja Eeman was found in 2008 near Renigunta in Tirupati after her mother, who was mentally disturbed, left her in a thicket. Locals informed the Raja Foundation in Proddutur, YSR district, which rescued the baby. As the team arrived, the mother fled the scene.
Raja Reddy, who led the foundation, later wrote to then-President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam asking for a name for the child. The President named her Pooja Eeman. Raja Reddy also started Pooja International School in Chowdur, where she studied up to Class 10.
Pooja did well in both studies and extracurricular activities, winning awards in painting and swimming. She represented Telangana twice at the national level in swimming. She scored 428 out of 500 in Class 10.
She then joined a junior college in Hyderabad with the foundation’s support and took the History, Public Administration, and Geography stream. She scored 466 out of 475 in the first year and 985 out of 1000 in the second year.
Raja Reddy passed away during her Intermediate studies. “He raised me like his own daughter,” Pooja said. “Becoming a collector was his dream. I want to achieve it for him and for other children like me.”
