TUMKUR: She is illiterate but that hasn’t stopped Ramakka from ensuring that 27 children of her Helavajogi nomadic community go to the government higher primary school in Shantinagara. Four years ago, they begged, went door-to-door for leftovers or reared pigs to ward off hunger. Girls were left to tend to babies as their parents went to work. And when the concept of
tent schools, which offered bridge courses for dropouts came, Ramakka, an activist, sought one for her community and met block education officer Basavaraju. The BEO heeded to her request and appointed a teacher Nagarathnamma who too was compassionate about the disadvantaged. During summer, as classes began under a small tent, Ramakka volunteered as a co-coordinator to ensure all dropouts attended classes. She went out of her way
to sustain the students’ interest. For instance, a Samaritan and inventor of farming implements late C P Sadashivaiah celebrated his birthday by distributing colour pencils, sketch books and comic books to children, encouraging them. The children were in for a surprise when the youngest film director Master Kishen screened his movie Care of Footpath for them. The children identified themselves with lead actor Kishen, who struggles to get education. Soon they all joined a mainstream school and haven’t looked back since. Chandrakala, then studying in class III and now in her class VII, is among the top 10 in a class of 50. She remembers how she sobbed as she watched the film. For 45-year-old Ramakka, who hailed from Chikjajur of Davangere taluk, it was her disadvantaged upbringing that motivated her to do something for children in a similar state. After she lost her father when she was only 10, her mother, with seven daughters wandered in search of menial jobs and settled outside Tumkur.