Mala grew up under the care of social worker Shankar Baba Papalkar in a home for the blind and deaf in Paratwada, Amravati. The 81-year-old, who devoted his life to the welfare and rehabilitation of divyang (differently-abled), orphaned, and destitute children and was awarded the Padma Shri this year, named the young girl Mala and also gave her his surname, Papalkar.
a teenage girl from Andhra Pradesh who refused to be a child bride to pursue her dreams of higher education has topped the first-year intermediate board examinations in the state.
The girl, identified as S Nirmala, a native of Pedda Harivanam in Kurnool district, scored 421 marks out of 440 in the exam.