Some dreams change shape without changing their purpose.
As a child growing up in Jamakhandi, a small town in Karnataka, Sairam Hawaldar admired the men and women who guarded India’s borders. Stories of courage, sacrifice and service left a lasting impression on him. He imagined himself wearing the uniform one day and serving the country through the armed forces. That dream stayed with him throughout school.
His first plan was to join the National Defence Academy. When that did not work out, he did not abandon his goal. Instead, he found another path towards it.
Sairam focused on the NEET examination, earned an excellent score, and secured admission to the MBBS programme at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute. Today, he hopes to serve the nation as a doctor in the Indian Armed Forces, a different route to the same destination that inspired him as a young boy.
The idea of service became even more personal because of what his family experienced. His father, an electrician who repairs household electrical appliances, has struggled with health problems following an accident that affected his spine, making it difficult for him to work as before. Around the same time, Sairam’s grandparents, who played a central role in raising him, underwent major heart surgeries within a short span of each other. The family faced mounting medical expenses and difficult moments in hospitals, where timely medical attention was not always available. Witnessing these experiences strengthened Sairam’s resolve to become a doctor who could make a meaningful difference, especially for people who often have limited access to quality healthcare.
Although his parents worked hard to support the family, much of Sairam’s upbringing was shaped by his grandparents. His grandmother introduced him to the values of compassion, respect, and integrity through stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. She taught him that strength lies as much in character as in achievement. His grandfather, through everyday conversations and interactions, taught him how to treat people with kindness, communicate respectfully and earn trust. These lessons continue to guide him far beyond the classroom.
Academically, Sairam has consistently excelled. He graduated from high school with an impressive 94.8% in Class 12 and earned distinction in both Class 10 and Class 12. Beyond academics, he actively participated in volleyball, football, throwball, and general knowledge competitions, and even received recognition in a memory competition conducted by LIC. These experiences helped him develop discipline, teamwork and confidence.
One challenge he quietly worked to overcome was his limited fluency in English. Until Class 10, he found it difficult to speak the language comfortably. Rather than accepting it as a limitation, he began using free online resources after getting access to a mobile phone. Watching educational videos and practising through online conversation platforms like ‘OMEGLE’ helped him gradually improve his spoken English. It was a reminder to himself that determination often matters more than the resources one starts with.
Sairam also hopes that his medical education will allow him to contribute to underserved communities. While he has only recently begun his MBBS journey and has not yet had the opportunity to participate in community health programmes, he looks forward to working in rural areas where quality healthcare remains difficult to access.
The Lakshya Scholarship from Shiksha Sankalp Society acknowledges not only Sairam’s academic potential but also the quiet sacrifices his family has made to keep his education on track. By reducing the financial strain caused by medical expenses and limited income, it allows him to focus on learning, while offering his family a measure of stability during a challenging period.
For Sairam, the destination has never changed. He still wants to serve the nation. The uniform may be different from the one he imagined as a child, but the commitment behind that dream remains exactly the same.
