Meet Tamil Nadu triplets pursuing engineering despite adversity

International Women in Engineering Day is observed every year on June 23 to celebrate the achievements of women engineers as well as to raise awareness on closing the gender gap in the sector.

More than being bound by blood, the triplets are classmates of the B.Tech programme at Sona College of Technology, Salem, who love discussing the intricacies of mechanics like Ackerman steering geometry, Beale number, Cotter pin, and damping ratio.

The triplets were born to businessman B Murugan and K Kamala, a government employee, in a nondescript Chidambaram town, in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district.

Call it a quirk of fate, they were born on Engineers' Day (September 15), the birthday of Sir M Visvesvaraya, one of the most renowned engineers in the country, whose legacy left a lasting impact on India's infrastructure and engineering education.

From their early childhood, Dhanushree, Dhanush, and Dhanuja picked up the importance of education and the courage to pursue their dreams.

With their commendable scores in Class XII, the triplets secured admission at Sona College of Technology. Yet financial adversity scuttled their dreams of becoming engineers.

To provide them with a good education, the parents relocated to Salem and had to reestablish their business.

Dhanush loves electronics and is pursuing his dream of becoming a software developer. In addition to mechanical engineering Dhanushree and Dhanuja are also pursuing a credit course in Japanese.

"Dhanuja and Dhanushree are very attentive in the class and participate in discussions. They made friends with classmates quickly and often helped them in their studies. Dhanuja has a natural flair for singing," said B Renuga, Head of Department for the first-year students at the college.

Dhanuja, the youngest among the triplets, is excited about getting the highest score not only among the siblings but the entire class.