His father is a bus driver. Talking about the hardships of his father's job he says, "I just wonder how he manages to keep his pulse under control even with stressors like - transporting thousands of people back-to-back via narrow streets and uneven rocky roads, relentless pressure to maintain a tight schedule, knowing that the slightest accident can risk lives of passengers and disgrace his job."

He has three siblings and all study in the same school. Santhosha's father is the only breadwinner for the family. So, at times it gets harder for him to fulfil all of their wishes. We were really touched when Santhosha described further about his willingness to be an engineer. He said, “one day, while playing hide and seek game with my sisters I was hiding behind the curtains. I could hear clearly, my sulking mother was speaking to father about the debt that they had taken years back. My father consoled her saying “have patience and everything will fall in place.” Santhosha says that he wants to grow up sooner so he can make his dream come true and support his parents to repay their debt as well!

He expresses his gratitude for Akshaya Patra, which provides wholesome meals at his school. Santhosha and his friends enjoy the mid-day meals to the fullest. It not only calms their hunger pangs but also fills them up with hope and confidence.