THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Eighteen years ago, some time well into the night, when Paru (Parvathy) reached home, all relying on a 'ranthal' (lantern) to find her way after attending a literacy class, little did she know that it would be her last tryst with the letters.
Having observed that it was well after 10 pm, her ailing husband forbade her from stepping into their home. Paru spent the night outside. The incident brought her education to a stop.
And years later, some six months ago, she started from scratch, learning the basics, when the opportunity presented itself in the form of a literacy course by Kerala State Literacy Mission (KSLM). “The kids needed to be brought up and there was no option to study. And now that everything has been taken care of, I am going to learn as long as I can,” says 80-year-old Paru, a resident of Padmanabhan Nagar, Puthenpalam at Kannammoola.
Paru was among the 35-odd learners who had assembled at the community hall in Puthenpalam, taking part in the Aksharasree Mikavulsavam, a basic literacy course test. Paru wrote the exam along with her daughter Ragini P and grand-daughter Rajani R. The trio hopes to outdo each other when the results come in.
“I studied only up till the first standard. After my younger sibling was born I had to give up my studies to look after the baby so my mother could work. That was the end of my education,” says Ragini accusingly, while Paru stifles her chuckles.
Even Ragini’s daughter Rajani could complete only up till first standard. “There have been several instances when I have felt so ashamed of not being able to even fill up a form. You can’t reach anywhere without education. And my dream is to join college and earn a job,” says Rajani.
Yamuna Y, the Aksharasree coordinator at Kannammoola ward says the focus is to take education to the doorsteps. “We consider the convenience of the learners. So sometimes the classes are arranged at their homes where we bring together the learners,” says Yamuna. As many as 697 learners in 24 wards in Vattiyoorkavu wrote the exam.