Tamil Nadu SSLC results 2017: Corp school girl Rebecca V does not allow her broken family to rob her future

CHENNAI: The bereavement of watching parents separate and living without a father and mother at home has not made 15-year-old Rebecca V a victim of a broken family but gave her a will to make something of herself. With 438 marks out of 500, Rebecca is one of the high scorers across corporation schools in the city.
She lives opposite her school -- Saidapet Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School -- and is brought up by her maternal grandparents and an aunt who remained single to care for Rebecca and her two elder brothers.The six of them live together in a one bedroom shanty and get by with their granfather’s government pension.
She still remembers the brawls between her parents since she was 4. Two years later, she was abandoned but her alcoholic father continues to visit them often only to create a ruckus. “The hurt always remains but I channelled everything to concentrate in my books and that helped me overcome my feelings,” says Rebecca welling up with grief. “Sometimes I don’t know how I studied through my situation especially when my father still comes home drunk. But, I want to do well in life and for that I know I have to study well and get a good job.”
Rebecca’s teachers say she is an obedient student and her classmates have also ensured she blends in. Though she appears frail and timid, Rebecca is fiery in her spirit, says her aunt Valarmathi. “I still get upset over how her parents abandoned these children, but Recebba stays strong saying that we have to prove and show that we can live a decent life.”
Rebacca’s brothers are pursuing their graduation courses. Their grandmother, Devi says Rebecca also helps tremendously with household chores. “I regret that if she hadn’t done the house help she may have had more time and scored more. We are going to support her for that in the coming years,” says Devi. For now, there is a small celebration at home for her marks- her favourite chicken curry for dinner.