Chennai: Good marks bring ray of hope on hard days in Perumbakkam

Santhosh P of block 20 in Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board tenements at Perumbakkam had a busy afternoon on Wednesday, distributing toffees to his neighbours and friends. 

CHENNAI: Santhosh P of block 20 in Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board tenements at Perumbakkam had a busy afternoon on Wednesday, distributing toffees to his neighbours and friends. By his assessment, the 313 that he scored in his Class X exam was the highest in the stretch that houses families who were evicted from areas such as Thideer Nagar, Thiruverkadu and Chetpet.Back at home, however, his parents were not too happy, he says. “They expected me to get above 400. After coming to Perumbakkam, both my parents lost their jobs. They are now entirely dependent on me since I am the eldest son,” he said. 

From his small house at ASK Nagar in Thiruverkadu, Santhosh and his family moved to Perumbakkam in December last year, when he was halfway through his academic year. “It has been difficult. I used to regularly get contract and daily wage work there. I have only taken two contracts in the last six months that we have been here. I hope Santhosh does well from here on,” said Prabhu S, Santhosh’s father. His mother Amaravathi, who was a domestic help at Thiruverkadu also does not have a job now. 

Santhosh, however, said this was the best he could do, considering the circumstances. “I had to start all over again with new teachers and classmates. My old school had special classes there. If I had continued to study there, I would have got more than 400 marks,” he said. “If our financial situation improves in two years, I would want to study a polytechnic engineering course,” he said.  

Unlike Santhosh, changing schools was not a risk Sharon M was willing to take. He and his family were brought to Perumbakkam from Thousand Lights. His day starts at 6 am, when he changes two buses to get to his old school from Perumbakkam. “It becomes 9 pm by the time I get back home after the special classes end at 6 pm,” he said. He scored 310 in his SSLC exam. 

His father Marshall, an autorickshaw driver, still goes to Thousand Lights to take trips around 5 am. Later, around 8 am, after packing their lunch, his mother Shakila leaves for Thousand lights to work as a domestic help. “We all see each other only for an hour every night,” said Sharon, as he lets out a laugh. He also wants to pursue a polytechnic course. 

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