Mumbai : Prema Jayakumar’s phone has not stopped ringing ever since the news of her topping the All India Chartered Accountancy (CA) examination broke out. And the 24-year-old daughter of an autorickshaw driver is not complaining.

Prema’s joy knows no bounds. Not only did she top with 607 marks out of 800, her brother Dhanraj also cleared the examination.

Her 300 sq ft one-room tenement in the far-flung suburb of Malad was flooded with visitors and television crew the entire day, even as her proud father quietly went about his job of 20 years, ferrying passengers in his autorickshaw.

Talking to mediapersons, Prema said her father Jayakumar, hailing from Tamil Nadu, ekes out a living by driving an autorickshaw. “Our family income is not constant. It fluctuates a lot, but it is usually around Rs 15,000. But then, my mother also used to work for a private company.

“She stopped when my brother and I grew up and began contributing by way of articleship. Now, my aim is to give my father a well-deserved rest as soon as I start working.”

Accolades in her scholastic pursuit started flowing in very early. “I used to get a scholarship in my schooldays. I also received a scholarship of Rs 40,000 from my coaching institute. Hence fee was never a problem,” she said.

Prema came second in her third year BCom examination with 90 per cent marks. She completed her Masters in Commerce with flying colours as well.

“Both Dhanraj and I registered together with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and appeared for the examination last November. My brother had started preparing for CA soon after he finished HSC. During graduation, he used to work in a call centre to pay his registration fees.”

Dhanraj (22) softly interjected. “My sister always paid her fees through scholarships. She has always been brilliant in academics. After graduating in 2008, she appeared for the Common Proficiency Test conducted by ICAI that year itself.-DH News

The next year, she cleared both groups of the Integrated Professional Competence Examination, which made her eligible for articleship as well as for CA final. All the while, she helped me with my preparations.”