PATHANAMTHITTA: Kumar M M is a busy man. As a member of the Byaravalli grama panchayat in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district, the 49-year-old always has his hands full catering to people in need. However, during the Sabarimala pilgrimage every year, Kumar makes time to come to the hill shrine not only as a devotee, but also as an announcer informing pilgrims about the guidelines, rules and instructions.
“I have been doing this for over two decades. I did announcements at Pampa for 19 years and at Nilakkal for four. However, this is my first time working at Sannidhanam. My happiness knows no bounds. All this is due to the blessings of Lord Ayyappa,” said Kumar, who does announcements in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.
Kumar was 26 when he first picked up the mike. That was in 2000. Sharing his journey, he said, “I was born in an extremely poor family. In 1987, when I was 13, my father Muniswami went to Sabarimala. I too expressed my strong desire to see Lord Ayyappa, but my father said he was helpless as he could not afford both our expenses. I understood his situation.”
In 1993, Gopal, a Palakkad native working in Chikkamagaluru, learnt of Kumar’s wish and took him to Sabarimala.
“That was my first time seeing Lord Ayyappa. I prayed to lift my family out of poverty,” said Kumar, who worked in hotels in Byaravalli to save money back then.
Train journey changed Kumar’s life
“Slowly, our life took a turn for the better. In 2000, I decided to carry out cleaning work from Pampa to Sannidhanam. I boarded a train from Karnataka,” he said. That trip proved to be a turning point in his life.
“During my journey, I met Manjunathan Swami who was an announcer at Sannidhanam. I told him about my childhood experiences and shared memories of my first arrival to Sabarimala. It was he who introduced me to Biju Swami, an official of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) at Pampa. With his support, I got the chance to work as an announcer at Pampa,” recalled Kumar.
He worked from January 9 to January 19. “The first three days, I conducted announcements in Kannada about missing incidents . Then, I announced about the modakam of Lord Ganapathi, the aval nivedyam of Lord Hanuman and the bookstall. After 10 days, I thought TDB officials will not call me again. However, while I was leaving, they gave me modakam, appam, aravana and asked me to come next year. I was overjoyed,” he said.
Kumar said he will come to Sabarimala till his last breath. “I did not get remuneration for the first six years. Now, I make Rs 750 daily from announcements,” said Kumar, who was elected as Byaravalli panchayat member in 2020. He uses the money to aid pilgrims who do not have any money to return to their native place and to help schools in his locality. His wife Jayanathi served as panchayat member from 2015 to 2020. The couple has two children Kavyasree and Dikshithkumar.