In heartbreaking news, Vinayak Sreedhar, who scored 100, 96 and 97 in three subjects when he appeared for the CBSE class 10 examination passed away today. Sreedhar who idolised Stephen Hawking suffered from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) which is a genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.
It should be noted that the Legendary British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking also suffered from the motor neuron disease.
Vinayak Sreedhar drew his last breath even before he could write the remaining two exams- Computer Science and Social Studies.
He chipped in with good scores in three subjects. He scored 100 in English, 96 in Science and 97 in Sanskrit. The Amity International School, Noida, student marked his presence for the exams under the general category and not the Children With Special Need (CWSN) category.
“His muscular movement was very limited. He could write slowly but since there is a time duration for exams, he used a scribe to write English and Science exam. For Sanskrit, he insisted to write himself. His body movement was restricted and he was wheelchair-bound, but his mind was very sharp and aspirations very high,” Mamta Sreedhar, his mother, told PTI,
Talking about Vinayak’s parents, his father is Vice President in GMR and his mother is a homemaker.
“I made this choice. My entire day revolved around him. From brushing his teeth to feeding him, I did it all myself but it was his willpower which always gave us the strength,” his mother said.
Sreedhar who aspired to become an astronaut always told his mother about his plans, “If Stephen Hawking could go to Oxford and make a name in Cosmology I can go to space too.” Sreedhar also had plans to visit Rameswaram temple near Kanyakumari, after his exams were finished.
“We are today in Rameshwaram and are going for darshan in the evening. It was his unfulfilled wish so we decided to not postpone the plans and do it for him,” Mamta Sreedhar, told PTI.
With Agency Inputs: PTI