Monira Khatun is 16 years old but she is only 2ft tall and weighs 25kg because of a rare medical condition.

The Madhyamik examinee who cannot walk, stand or even sit by herself is battling her physical odds and aspires to touch the sky.

Monira, who is from Kumarjol-Maliary village at Minakha in North 24-Parganas, is taking her Madhyamik exam as a student of Dhuturdaha Kalyan Parishad High School. Despite her rare condition, Monira travels to the examination venue, which is 15km away, to write her paper lying prostrate on a bench, without any support.

'Monira has a rare condition called phocomelia, a birth defect that causes malformation of the limbs,' said Moktar Ali Mollah, the girl's father.

Mollah earns a living as a tricycle peddler and has been ferrying her daughter to the Bamunpukur High School examination centre, while her mother Akhima nestles her in her lap to protect her from bumps and jolts.

'But Monira will never give up. She says she wants to become a teacher one day so that she can support her parents and brother,' Mollah added, referring to 11-year-old Ashiqul, who also suffers from a similar growth disorder.

On Thursday, when this newspaper spoke to her, she had just finished taking the geography examination.

'My priority is to excel in these examinations so that I can go to a good higher secondary school,' she said.

'I want to become a good teacher provided the government allows me. I need to do this so that I can help my brother survive,' Monira added.

Doctors at R.G. Kar Med- Monira writes a Madhyamik paper at Bamunpukur High School in Minakha. Picture by Pashupati Das ical College and Hospital in Calcutta, where Monira and her brother come for treatment, said there was not much in the way of medical treatment for genetic disorders such as phocomelia.

'The condition affects growth and development of the body, but not so much the mind,' said a doctor. 'Despite her physical limi- tations from birth, Monira has shown immense strength and hope. We had told her parents when she was an infant that there was not much we could do,' the doctor added.

Monira's parents said their daughter's resolve had been a source of inspiration for them. However, they want the government to stand by their children because of their poor financial condition.

'There is no hope for our children after we (parents) die. So, I hope the chief minister takes note of her efforts and helps them have a future,' said Akhima. Akhima added that she was grateful for the understanding and support of teachers and friends at the Dhuturdaha Kalyan Parishad High School.

'School authorities had arranged a big table for her to lie down and write the exams. Her classmates also helped her a lot,' she said.

'The most difficult thing for her, however, was to hold a pen. She can do it now,' smiled Akhima.

School sources and rural officials said they were proud of Monira. 'We respect her courage and strength and will help her every step of the way,' said a teacher from Monira's school.

'We will try our best to extend support to the family so that they can live with dignity,' said Gopesh Chandra Patra, president of the Minakha panchayat samity..