COIMBATORE: Students of the Corporation Middle School at Upplipalayam are eagerly waiting for the last bell. Unlike most school scenes, they are not about to run back to their respective homes but to the Illam Thedi Kalvi classes, where their Mahalakshmi teacher awaits them with her healthy snacks and engaging lessons.
The 34-year-old S Mahalakshmi of Upplipalayam has been working as an ITK volunteer for the past 11 months. This brief time was enough for her to change the lives of many students, ignite hopes in many lives, and spread smiles on the faces of a bunch of hungry students.
It all started six months ago when she realised how hungry and tired the students were after school hours. “Initially, only 20 students used to attend my classes. But later, when I tried to find the reason behind such low participation, I realised that hunger is the factor that drives students away. They will be tired after regular classes and want to go home to eat something. That is when I started to bring healthy homemade snacks such as rice flakes, boiled sundal (chana), health mix, millets, vegetable salad, and fruit slices for students. Now, I have 50 students in my class,” she says.
Each day, Mahalakshmi’s ITK duties start with making snacks at home in the afternoon. She packs them all and reaches the school premise around 4 pm, where she will distribute them to her students before starting the classes at 4.30 pm — all expenses borne by herself.
Explaining the expenses, Mahalakshmi says, “I get a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000 from the school education department, and I spend the whole amount on refreshments. I often have to spend an additional amount of Rs 200 or Rs 300 for this. However, I never regretted it. What matters is my students’ education and welfare.”
M Senthil, a parent, says, “My two children attend Mahalakshmi’s ITK classes, and I am very thankful to her for providing snacks to the children. I see energetic faces when I go to school to pick up my children. Also, as they attend ITK classes, I don’t have the additional burden of teaching them at home.” This teacher is also endeared for her teaching methods and dedication. Apart from the textbooks, she teaches spoken English and extracurricular activities like drawing to upgrade students’ skills. Also, due to her consistent efforts, two children from the migrant workers’ community joined the school.
S Sajjankumar, a Bihar native who works as a cook in Coimbatore, says, “Fearing the huge fee, I was not sending my two children to school. That’s when Mahalakshmi, who noticed my kids rearing cows, explained to me about the free education provided at the corporation school. She talked to me about the importance of education, and I enrolled my children in Classes 2 and 4 at the school.”
Palli Kalvi Paathukappu Iyakkam district coordinator P Chandrasekar says, “Mahalakshmi teaches lessons in Hindi to the north Indian students to make them understand the subject. She also imparts the lessons through poetry and stories, making the class very engaging.”
During Deepavali, the teacher gifted dresses along with a box of sweets each to a few north Indian children who belong to poor backgrounds. Backed by the limitless support of her husband, Sasikumar, an assistant manager at a private hotel and two children, this Tamil literature graduate, who is filled with a passion for teaching, is planning on conducting regular evening classes outside of ITK exclusively for children from poor economic backgrounds soon – a dream with a potential to change a lot more lives.