THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dr Lakshmipradha is three feet ten inches tall. For dental treatment, her patient sits in a chair that is taller than her. Even doctors have ruled that her BDS education is impossible. But Lakshmi did not back down. She graduated from Thiruvananthapuram Dental College and then became a teacher in a dental college in Tamil Nadu. Now she is busy working in healthcare IT field in Bengaluru. She has also entered the world of writing.

Lakshmipradha was born in Chennai in 1980 as the youngest daughter of SBT officer NV Sreenivasan and Ganga Sreenivasan. Her parents are natives of Palakkad.

Lakshmipradha was diagnosed with achondroplasia when she was three years old. For those with this condition, the body does not grow beyond the age of 10. Her mother trained her to move forward with courage. She also lead her to youth festival venues.

She enrolled in Thiruvananthapuram Dental College in 1998 after securing admission through entrance. Lakshmipradha's father, brother Karthik and his wife Gayathri gave her relentless support. Four years ago, her mother died of cancer.

Classmates carried her platform

Lakshmipradha was the first such student in the dental college. Her teachers Sam Joseph, Jolly Marie Varghese, Nandakumar, Sreelal, Jayakumar, Ajith Kumar and Velmurugan supported her throughout. A separate platform was set up for her practicals. The platform was carried to each department by classmates. Clinics did not accept Lakshmi after her studies. She became a teacher at Meenakshiammal Dental College in Chennai through Dr Sam Joseph's friend Dr Gopikrishna. After three and a half years of service there, she shifted to Bengaluru.

Writing

A motivational speaker, musician and painter, Lakshmi also has a passion for writing. Her second book, Delicate Darlings, will be launched on April 21 on Amazon. The book's content is observations of children's character development, including life experiences. The first book, Head Over Heels, was an e-book.