I spoke to the boy (Raju) again on Friday. He came up with the facts this time. (I don't hold it against the boy that he didn't tell the truth the first time.) The thing is that he didn't finish his X class. He wrote only 5 subjects and got 200+ in those. He lost his mom before his last exam, and thus he didn't write the 6th subject at all! He initially denied his interest in studies, and the reason for that aversion made me feel sorry for the kid - he lost his dad during his VII public examinations and mom during his X public examinations! So, he's lost all his interest in studies. ...Not all, in fact, because he's quite confident that he can complete his X even in private if possible. "okka subject elaagU ayipOtundannaa, kaTTEstE enta sEpu!", "...books unTE 2-3 months-lO chadiveyyocchu", etc. were his words in direct speech! (For the non-Telugu people in the group, if any: "One subject is not an issue once I can pay the fees and sit for it!", "...if only I have the books, preparation is just a matter of 2-3 months!")
Finally, he said that he was going to his native place (Anakapalli) on Nov. 02 and would return on Nov. 10. He said he'd ask his guardians (his uncle, and his elder sister) about continuing education and tell me on the 10th. Meanwhile, I'd add one more option to what Prasanthi said - Rajiv UdyogaSree and Satyam Foundation together offer free DTP training (MS Office and a lot more) to people of 18-35 years (7th pass, 10th pass/fail, Intermediate qualification). More information @ 040- 65260695/6, 040-42409090. (Source: Eenadu main edition dt. 24.10.2008) NaChaKi
