Most people would be over the moon if they scored 10 As in the SPM examinations. However, when Penang-born Nimelesh Balanthiren showed his results to his mother, she broke down and cried instead.
His mother, K. Vijayalakshmy, 59, cried because he also got a B for English in Science and Technology.
"She was concerned that this 'B' meant I could not obtain a scholarship to further my studies. We didn’t have any money for my higher education,” Nimelesh said, adding that the B felt like it had destroyed their hopes for a better future.
Nimelesh's father passed away when he was 11-years-old, and since then, his mother had been supporting them with a meagre income of RM1,000 a month by working as a kindergarten teacher in Georgetown.
However, Nimelesh overcame adversity and went on to study medicine at the Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy in Russia. He shared his rags-to-riches story on Twitter recently and it has become an inspiration to social media users.
“Thank you, doctor, for sharing your story. I will share this with my students so they will be more aware of what they have,” Twitter user, Cikgu Ainan, said.
Mak saya nangis depan saya sebab saya mintak duit RM 10 nak tengok movie. twitter.com/tkdnxv/status/…
Such an inspiration!
Thank you doktor for the story.
Saya nak share dengan pelajar saya supaya mereka sedar diri.
See Cikgu Ainan | چيقڬو عينان | 艾奧寧 | ஐனான்'s other Tweets
Living on RM1,000 a month
Nimelesh could not buy new clothes for Deepavali nor celebrate his birthday until he was 21-years-old. He was also sidelined and insulted by his relatives for being poor.
The doctor, who is now 30-years-old, has since moved to Selangor from Penang, and said he owed his success to his mother.
"She had to walk to work because they did not have a vehicle. The kindergarten was about three kilometres away from their Georgetown home," he said.
“We lived on her income of RM1,000 a month. My school uniform and textbooks were all borrowed. We didn’t have a car, so I walked to my tuition centre. I walked as far as five kilometres in the sun to get there but sometimes my teacher would fetch me."
Nimelesh recalled how one day his mother cried because he had asked for RM10 to watch a movie in the cinema.
"She cried because she could not afford to give me money to even watch a movie."
Mak saya nangis depan saya sebab saya mintak duit RM 10 nak tengok movie. twitter.com/tkdnxv/status/…
11.2K people are talking about this
Russian scholarship
The hardship they faced made him realise that education was the only way to change their fate.
“I knew there was only one way and that was by studying hard,” he said.
The doctor narrated that his mother thought that the 10As, 1B in the SPM examinations would mean he would not secure a government scholarship. But he managed to obtain a scholarship from the Public Service Department to pursue a medical degree in Russia.
Source of inspiration to study
There was a time that Nimelesh “hated” his father for leaving them so soon.
“I was at a point where I hated my late father. So I lied to everyone who asked where he was. I always said he was outstation," he said.
“It was difficult, especially the feeling of uncertainty. I wasn’t sure if I could succeed. I wasn’t sure if my mother and I could get out of poverty or change our lives.”
Ironically, Nimelesh's father was also a source of inspiration.
“When I was growing up, my father was often admitted to the hospital because he suffered from liver cirrhosis. I felt helpless that I couldn’t help him," he said.
“He is the reason I wanted to be a doctor, so I could help others.”
Today, Nimelesh is training to be a family medicine specialist - a Masters programme - at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Nimelesh wants his journey to success to inspire the youth to strive for excellence.
“Don’t give up. There will be times when you will feel down. Just work hard. With hard work, we can change our lives.” - Mkini
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