Lucknow’s famous 13-year-old child prodigy, Sushma Verma, who has been selected in the M.Sc Microbiology course at the Lucknow university, becoming the youngest ever student for the course, is getting financial help fro unexpected quarters.
Well known lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar has shown interest in supporting Sushma’s education and has sought details of her father from university officials in order to get a clear picture of the financial requirements.
Offers of financial aid has also come from Abhishek Patil from Kolhapur who runs a charitable organisation known as SKA Foundation.
According to Lucknow University proctor Prof Manoj Dixit, who is coordinating the process, he will soon meet Sushma’s father Tej Bahadur to discuss the financial requirement of her education.
Prof. Dixit said that he has also approached the finance officer to get an estimate of the total expenses including the fee structure and hostel fee, in case the girl decided to avail the hostel facility.
Sources said that Sushma’s father has also requested university officials to accommodate the entire family in the hostel or near the university campus.
Sushma’s name was recommended by the vice chancellor, Prof. Nimse, to the admission cell who said that the girl’s age should not be a hurdle to whatever she wants to achieve.
Sushma had completed her B.Sc in Zoology and Botany from a Lucknow University affiliated college this year.
Sushma, incidentally, has many records to her credit. The Limca Book of Records describes her as the youngest matriculate in India. She passed her high school at the age of seven.
At 10, she took the Combined Pre Medical Test. Now at 13, she is doing her M.Sc in microbiology with special permission from the Lucknow University vice chancellor.
Sushma wants to be a doctor but her age is a major hindrance.