Inspiration
What it takes for a dalit to earn a PhD in India?
36-year-old Sunkanna Velpula has spent years toiling to get his PhD. Inspite of numerous stints outside the education system, this determined dalit man did not give up on his dream to pursue an education and make it big for himself and his family.
At 36, Sunkanna Velpula has spent too many years pursuing and obtaining education and in the way has taken detours, navigated too many dead ends. It is a day of double joy as on the day that his fellow students were to be released on bail, he had just received his provisional PhD certificate from the Hyderabad Central University. Being awarded his PhD in Philosophy, is now just a formality. But the battle for Rohith will continue; after all, he didn’t come all this way to give up now.
Sunkanna’s journey may seem nothing less than extraordinary but sadly it is the story of almost every Dalit student who dreams of getting a decent education and make a career. He hails from Damagutla village in Kurnool district where getting even water and electricity was a big deal so schools were definitely out of the question.
Whatever little education was available was through the efforts of 2 Dalit government teachers Krupakar Rao and Susheelamma who taught kids in the village church. Having classes in church was the most natural thing as temples don’t allow Dalits, in that way even religion is an automatic choice for Dalits.
When the government eventually built schools in the area, he says, they built 2 — one for Dalits and the other for non-Dalits. However due to a poor foundation in basics the going was tough in that school. His father, decided to discontinue his studies so that Sunkanna could help with the farming. A couple of years later Sunkanna went back to studies as he felt that it was easier than farming under the merciless sun.
High school was even harder. He failed in English, Maths and Science in Class10, and had to appear for the supplementary exams. 4 days before the results came out, anxiety overwhelmed Sunkanna and he took Rs 100 from his father’s pocket and absconded.
He found himself in Hyderabad with just Rs. 45 in his pocket. As luck would have it he stumbled in a canteen where he found work for Rs 20 per day along with food and a place to sleep. After a few months and a couple of different jobs including a waiter at a bar, a job at an electronics showroom and a lorry cleaner he found himself again at the same canteen in Hyderabad. That very day, when he was eating in a canteen, he spotted a familiar– it was another boy from his village who had run away like him.
Some days later, Sunkanna was woken up to a knock and the sight of his friend from the village. But little did he know that his father was accompanying his friend. The meeting was doubly joyous as his father declared that Sukanna had passed class X and that his other friends were appearing for inter (11th and 12th grade).
Sukanna once again went back to his village but things were never the same for him again. After living in an urban setting he became acutely aware of the caste discrimination that he had faced all his life. He realised that he couldn’t freely move around the streets of his village clearly demarcated for higher castes like the Reddy Street, Brahmin street and so on.
Once again he left home, this time to enroll in a government college in Kurnool for an arts degree. He eventually earned a B.Ed. His thirst was not to be quenched by being a graduate, he decided to attempt the civil service exams. He decided to go to Hyderabad, hoping to find work that could financially support him while he studied. He joined a security agency which posted him as a guard at the Indian School of Business.
All his efforts in vain, he returned to Kurnool to work as a lecturer in government colleges. Again, money proved to be a great obstacle, and he was forced to drive an auto at nights to make ends meet.
Yet again, he failed to make the cut and reached Hyderabad where he had an extremely short stint in the local film industry which he lost because he was late by 30 minutes.
Once again providence turned him towards education as he chanced to meet his friend Jilakara Srinivas, who was a PhD scholar in the Telugu department Hyderabad University. After listening to his travails, Srinivas urged Sunkanna to study further. Taking his advice, Sunkanna applied for an MA in philosophy in 2005.
He achieved the 13th rank in the university, but it was not easy as Sunkanna spoke very little English.
He proudly says, “My graph was always going higher — in 10th standard I scored 40%, 46% in the Inter level, 56% in my degree, 61% in BEd, 72% in MA and then a distinction in Ph.D.”
He added, “But it’s not just me. Many Dalits are struggling.” And that’s what he discovered with the Ambedkar Students Association. “I don’t care about other students’ groups, but in ASA there is a lot of love and care which is a moral support for students on campus,” he says. “When I joined the university I felt like an alien but due to our group I started feeling comfortable,” he adds.
Recently, Sunkanna successfully defended his PhD, and was granted his provisional certificate. Now his only focus is to din a job that will allow him to support his family.
“I only want to become an assistant professor in Philosophy, and I am willing to do that anywhere in India. I will apply and will help my family financially. I have no other plans right now.”