VELLORE: Ulaganathan Vellimuthu is no Che Guevara, and his two-wheeler is no La Poderosa II, but the motorcycle plays a vital role in both their lives. If the bike trip through the length and breadth of South America had transformed the Argentine into a Marxist revolutionary, the short trips taken by 23-year-old Vellimuthu on his humble Hero Honda to and from the government school at Yelandhapur, with students riding pillion, is transforming the lives of many tribal children.
The pain of struggle, depravation, sacrifice and the value of education; Vellimuthu, an engineering graduate hailing from Malayali tribal community, knows everything, for he had been through them all.Born in Thoni Oor, Jharthankollai on Jawadhu hills in Anaicut taluk of Vellore district, the first blow in his life came at the tender age of two when he lost his father to illness, plunging the entire family into financial darkness.
Later, his brother had to drop out of school as they were unable to make ends meet with the meagre wage his mother received working as a daily wage labourer. Though the financial distress was severe, the mother-brother duo ensured Vellimuthu, who was enrolled in a government school in Pernampet and residing in a hostel for Scheduled Tribe students, continued his studies.
“I studied with the help of scholarships and completed my engineering course at a college in Tiruchy. That would not have been possible if my brother had not chipped in to run my family,” says a teary-eyed Vellimuthu, who is the first graduate of his family.
The studies, too, were not a cakewalk for him, as he did his entire schooling in Tamil medium. “The transition into English medium in college was itself a big challenge. I was in no mood to give up. I used to study the same chapter again and again until late in the night, sometimes till 2 am, and managed to complete the course without any arrears,” he says with pride glowing in his eyes.
The struggles of his family were always there in Vellimuthu’s mind, as he took up a part-time job while pursuing his degree course to help them. And, after graduation, he returned to his native and started working on his family’s agricultural land.
However, he could never forgo his passion, as he started teaching tribal children in his village with the support of Hand in Hand, an NGO.
“When I began teaching children at the residential learning centre in Periyathattankuttai, I felt so happy. But, then I realised that the drop-out rate in the lone government school was going up due to the poor condition of the roads in our village. I discussed the issue with many, and my mentors advised me to pick the children up on my bike,” he recollects.
That was the beginning. Cut to the present, Vellimuthu starts his ‘duty’ at 8 am, picking up around 15 tribal children from the villages of Thoniyur, Gujarat, and Yeludhi Maranthur to the school in Yelandhapur on his way to work and dropping them back at their home by noon.
“The terrain is rough, and it’s especially challenging during the monsoon. But I ride very carefully because it concerns the future of the kids,” says Vellimuthu, who makes at least four to five trips daily, before resuming teaching students from grades 1 to 5 at the learning centre.
Thanks to his relentless efforts, the school dropout rates in the three villages have been cut down to zero. The teaching duties apart, Vellimuthu is also preparing for TNPSC exams and is searching for a well-paying job to help his family come out of debt.
He hopes more children from his village will pursue education and dreams of better roads in the area.
The picture of children, with their backpacks, water bottles, and lunch bags, is in stark contrast with the humble background of a modest tribal home. And, when they hear a vroom approaching them behind the hills, the kids’ faces start shining bright as the bike’s sound is a signal that their school is about to start.
“For me, this is not a struggle. If the students complete their education, it brings me happiness. That’s it,” Vellimuthu signs off.
(Edited by Jayadev Mukundan)
