A healing salve for aching hearts: CYBIO rescues Virudhunagar's orphans
VIRUDHUNAGAR: The radiance of serial lights enveloped Vembakottai, exuding the spirit of Deepavali; the sound of crackers echoed through the streets and diyas shone all over. But for two siblings, aged 12 and 13, cracker noises brought them back to the nightmare they had lived through some years ago. As tears begin to roll down their cheeks, the children are reassured by a familiar face, the same one that had comforted them when they lost their mother in a cracker unit explosion at Sippiparai village in 2021.
The siblings are only two among the hundreds of children saved by a 61-year-old man, K Govindan, from the misery of being orphans. CYBIO, the orphanage cum residential school run by Govindan, has supported around 750 students, who had lost or were abandoned by their parents. Located in Vembakottai, a cracker manufacturing hub in Virudhunagar that is prone to frequent explosions, CYBIO began 18 years ago, when Govindan was shattered by the cries of children who lost their parents in a cracker unit blast and the many instances of relatives exploiting the orphaned children by turning them into labourers.
“CYBIO takes utmost care of the children and strives to make their future better by supporting them and tracking their paths even after they complete their schooling,” says K Pushparaj, a government school teacher from Vijayakarisalkulam, who originally had helped the siblings join the facility.
In the beginning, Govindan used to volunteer in an NGO, where he was assigned to identify child labourers working at cracker units. “Having come across many children during my time with the NGO, I understood the necessity of providing the children with proper education. Subsequently, I myself began tutoring kids from around 16 villages in the area who have discontinued their studies,” reminisces Govindan with a smile.
In 2006, Govindan won in the panchayat elections at Vembakottai as an independent candidate, following which he started organising classes for the kids at the village community centre during evenings. However, some years later, when he lost an election, Govindan was barred from utilising the community centre. “That was when I understood the impermanence of our social realities, and I set up CYBIO on a piece of land that I owned,” he adds.
CYBIO provides free education to students from Class 1 to 8, along with accommodation and food. After completing Class 8, students are transferred to the nearby Government Higher Secondary School, where they continue studies by staying at CYBIO.
19-year-old Karpagajothi, who had joined CYBIO in 2014 and is currently pursuing nursing, says, “The organisation and Govindan are the only reason I could pursue my dreams even after losing both my parents. Govindan made sure that I get quality education.”
Moreover, Solaikili, a 26-year-old who came to CYBIO after being abandoned by her parents at the age of 10, says Govindan and others from the organization continue to visit her even after her marriage. “They show endless affection towards me and continue to support me. They even brought clothes for my daughter when she was born,” she says.
Apart from studies, students at CYBIO are also trained in sports and extra-curricular activities including Chess, Silambam, Yoga and Bharathanatyam. Not to mention, a library and a park have also been set up recently within school premises.
(Edited by Sneha Joseph)