KOLLAM: At 103, Bhagheerathi Amma’s love for the world of letters has not diminished one bit. Little wonder this granny from Kollam appeared for the Class IV equivalency examination recently and is all set to become the brand ambassador of the Kerala State Literacy Mission (KSLM) in the district. She was chosen by Literacy Mission officials to inspire women to pursue their dreams of studies, which they were forced to abandon mid-way to take up family responsibilities.
From Sunday to Tuesday, Bhagheerathi Amma appeared for exams in Environment Studies, Malayalam and Mathematics. As she was not physically fit to take the test in an exam centre, she wrote the exams in her house ‘Nand Dham’ at Prakkulam in Thrikkaruva panchayat under the supervision of a panchayat member.
Though she claims to be 105, as per records, she is 103-years-old. “Bhagheerathi Amma told us how she had to abandon studies when she was nine to help her mother bring up her five siblings,” said Pradeep Kumar, KSLM district coordinator. And after 94 years, she came forward to pursue her dream to learn. Her determination is an inspiration to other women, and so we selected her as the ambassador of the district to promote our new initiatives, he added.
With the help of literacy workers S N Sherly and K B Vasanthakumar and the panchayat member, Bhagheerathi Amma registered for the course online six months ago. The literacy workers helped her learn at home and prepare for the exams. The results of the examination will come out in three weeks. “Though she started writing the exam on her own, later she became tired and had to seek the support of her youngest daughter Thankamani, who became her scribe, to complete the paper,” said Vasanthakumar.
Bhagheerathi Amma got married at a very young age and she lost her husband while she was pregnant with her youngest daughter. Thus, the whole burden of the family, comprising four daughters and two sons, fell on her shoulders. “Today, after completing all her responsibilities, Amma has stepped out to achieve her own dreams,” said Vasanthakumar. Karthiyani Amma, 96, from Cheppad in Alappuzha district, who was in the news for scoring a whopping 98 out of 100 in the literacy examination, was her biggest motivation, he added.
Other initiatives in KSLM
Preparations are afoot to make the district achieve the ‘complete tenth equivalency’ title by enabling dropouts below 50 years to appear for Class X equivalency exam. “The programme mainly targets women in the district. It will be implemented in coordination with three main women-oriented agencies - Kudumbashree, cashew workers of Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).