Nithyakalyani Narayanan. V
Santhosh Kumar, from Uttar Pradesh’s Colonelganj in Gonda, was a security guard for more than eight years. He took up odd jobs including welding and working in a factory. He came to Lucknow when he was 16 years, searching for decent work.
Adv. Santhosh Kumar was a student of political science, graduated from college in 2009 and finished his post-graduation in 2012. He joined NVM College, Lucknow, for a three-year law course the next year. For financial support, he worked at a pizza restaurant along with his studies. He then joined a security service company, for a salary of Rs.6500, which placed him at Ram Manohar Lohiya NLU. Though he graduated in 2016, he could not afford to pay to register for AIBE.
When the students of the RMLNLU came to know that he had a law degree and aspired to become an advocate, they volunteered to help him achieve his dream and began crowdfunding to raise money. They raised Rs. 9000 with which he bought books in Hindi to learn. Fast forward to one year, he cleared the AIBE XVII and recently received an offer to work at an Advocate’s chamber. He plans to stay with his wife and four daughters in Gonda while working at Lucknow District Court.
Adv. Santhosh said that he was motivated to pursue law when he was handed over a copy of the Constitution when he attended a program on Dr B R Ambedkar.