PALAKKAD: The tragedy of August 6, 2020, will always remain etched in the memory of G Gopika Ganeshan, one of the few survivors of the Pettimudi landslide that left 70 people dead. She lost her father, P Ganeshan, who worked as a driver in the Eravikulam national park, and her mother, Thankam, an Anganwadi teacher.
However, Gopika completed her Plus Two classes through sheer grit and determination and enrolled for her first-year MBBS examinations at the Government Medical College in Palakkad last November. Though there were initial hiccups, Gopika, a bright student, has now kept pace with other students.
Gopika and her elder sister, Hemalatha, were studying in the Thiruvananthapuram Model Government HSS, Pattom, in the Plus One and Plus Two classes, respectively, at the time of the tragedy. Gopika said she had secured 93% in the SSLC examinations and 96.25% in Plus Two.
Explaining her reason for becoming a doctor, she said, “When I saw the destruction in the wake of the 2020 tragedy, I thought I could have served better if I was a doctor. Also, when I read the postmortem report of my parents, I could not understand anything. It is then that a desire came from within me to become a doctor,” Gopika said.
“Our family was the sixth generation of people residing in Pettimudi near Rajamalai. The residents of the four lanes in Munnar, which was the worst hit, were mostly my relatives from my father’s side. Many of them lost their lives,” Gopika said.
“I reached Pettimudi on the third day on August 8, and my parents’ bodies were recovered on August 9. It was my parents’ dream to make me a doctor, and I hope to fulfil their wish. My father would tell me that my daughter should reach a high position and her name should be exhibited at her place of duty,” Gopika said.
“In March 2020, when all the exams were postponed due to covid, all of us, including my cousins, left the hostel and returned to Pettimudi. We were so happy to be home and together. Little did we know that five months later, many of us will leave this world once and for all,” Gopika said.
After completing her Plus II course, Gopika prepared for the entrance examinations by joining a private coaching centre in Pala. With proper guidance from the teachers and staff, I appeared for the NEET exam in 2022 and managed to gain admission to the Medical College in Palakkad, Gopika said.
“Gopika is good at studies, and she also has enough attendance. Her performance to date has also been exemplary. The Director of the SC/ST department had met her when he visited the college,” said Dr M T Vijayalakshmi, the principal of the Government Medical College, Palakkad.
Gopika said that since her parents were no more, the family had received Rs 10 lakh as compensation (Rs 5 lakh each). A part of this money was used to fund the studies. The Government had stated that it would fund the education expenses of the survivors of the Pettimudi tragedy.
“I met the Director of the SC/ST department, and he has promised to submit the details of the expenses incurred in the college,” Gopika added. As a parting shot, Gopika confidently says that she wants to serve the common man and is on a journey to fulfil it.