ALAPPUZHA: Karthiyayiniamma of Padeetathil, Muttom, Haripad, is feeling slightly anxious, wondering how she will engage in polite conversation with President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday. “ I happened to watch Manju’s (Manju Warrier) film ‘How Old Are You’. Manju’s character has given me a bit of confidence and I will speak to the President in my own language,” the 98- year-old Nari Shakti Puraskar winner told ‘Express.
Karthiyayiniamma along with her daughter Amminiamma and her ‘prerak’ (trainer) Sathi landed in the national capital to receive the prestigious award, instituted by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. She has become the ambassador of distance education, after scoring 98 marks out of a total 100 in the ‘Aksharalaksham’ examination conducted by the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority in 2018.
According to K Sathi, despite her advanced age Karthiyayiniamma is pretty enthusiastic about learning . “ Even at her age, she is keen on studying basic subjects, including mathematics,” Sathi said. “The candidates were tested on reading, writing and arithmetic skills. She scored 38 out of 40 in writing, and scored full marks in reading and arithmetic. Aksharalaksham is aimed at achieving 100 per cent literacy. Of the total 43,330 candidates, including 37,166 women, Karthiyayiniamma bagged the top score,” Sathi said. Karthiyayiniamma is studying for the fourth standard equivalency examination.