Visually-impaired student beats all odds to secure Rank 1 in Mangaluru University exam

Mangaluru: When Adhish Uchil's name was announced during the Mangalore University convocation to receive the first rank from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, his parents were overjoyed. A visually-impaired student of SDM College, Mangaluru has secured first rank in BA (HRD) examinations conducted by the Mangalore University during 2023. He secured Cumulative Grade Point Achievement (CGPA) of 8.74.

Speaking to DH, Adhish said that he is happy to receive the top rank from the university. "Teachers were very supportive and would help me with study materials and guided me on writing the exams. I was using non visual desktop access in my laptop, which used to read all the study materials to me, which in turn helped me to grasp everything."

Further, he said "It was Enable India, a NGO in Bengaluru which taught me to use the software. I was attentive in my class and used to prepare my notes. The teachers were also sharing with me the PPT which they used in the classrooms while teaching the subjects, which in turn helped me a lot."

As he was visually impaired, his parents used to drop him to the college initially. However, after undergoing training at National Association for the Blind (NAB) in Bengaluru to move around with a cane, he started walking to his college from his house which was situated nearby, he said with a smile on his face. Before undergoing training at NAB, one of the lecturer Dr Charles had taught me to use the cane inside the campus of the college, he added. However, NAB training helped me to walk by the side of the road using the cane.

"I want to pursue an MBA. I am also preparing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) to get into IIM to pursue my MBA. The CAT exam is likely to be held in November," he said.

Adhish is the son of Sudhir Uchil, an employee at MRPL and Gunashree Uchil.