Beyond limits: 16-year-old para-athlete from Eluru secures top rank in CLAT 2026
Eluru: At the age of four, Kasse Pavan Kumar lost his right arm in a freak electrical accident. The tragedy changed his childhood, but not his ambition.
A branch struck a power line while residents were cutting a tree near his home in Devalapalli near Jangareddygudem, bringing a live wire down onto Pavan. He suffered severe burns and a head injury that required surgery. Doctors had to amputate his right arm.
Raised by his maternal grandparents Dipalli Sasirekha and Koteswara Rao since he was one, Pavan found support in them during recovery. “I am thankful to my grandparents Sasirekha and Koteswara Rao for everything they have done for me. From the day I met with the accident, they stood beside me. They gave me courage when I was afraid,” he said.
Pavan discovered athletics in Class VI when his physical education teacher Mallayya recognised his potential. Within six months, he won bronze at a State-level para-athletics meet. After four years of district-level medals, he won three gold medals at a State meet in Visakhapatnam in August 2025 and two silver medals at the national level.
Competing in the T46 category in 100m, 200m and long jump, his performance at the SAI National Centre of Excellence trials in Gujarat earned him a place at the NCoE in Gandhinagar.
Alongside sports, Pavan pursued academics. He completed Intermediate at Sri Venkateswara Rao Junior College in Jangareddygudem and is now pursuing a B.A. at Sir C.R. Reddy Degree College in Eluru.
Speaking to TNIE, he said he cleared CLAT 2026 at age 16, securing All-India Rank 367 among 88,657 candidates. His maternal uncle Anil Kumar Dheelli, who serves in the CRPF, also encouraged his education.”My goal is to win medals at the international level and bring pride to my country,” he said.
His third ambition is filmmaking. Inspired by Dadasaheb Phalke and Satyajit Ray while in Class X, with a particular interest in Malayalam cinema, he has created a film concept focusing on persons with disabilities.”Every person with a disability has talent, capability and a story worth sharing. I want to show that story to the world,” he said.
