KOLLAM : As dawn breaks, an elderly woman wraps a muffler snugly around her neck and delves into the morning newspaper until she’s devoured every word. Meet 104-year-old L Kamalakshi Ammal, of Sasthamcotta, who participated in the very first Lok Sabha election.
Once again, she is preparing to cast her vote, but this time via the postal ballot. “I trust paper ballots more than the EVMs. You could check the ballot paper after casting vote. However, with the EVM, we won’t even know if we have cast the vote or not. The voter should be involved in the process emotionally, but the EVM method does not allow that,” she said.
Born on February 11, 1920, Kamalakshi recalled her experiences during the dawn of Indian democracy.
“The memories of World War II and the riots during partition are still fresh in my memory. In those days, it was really hard for women to exercise their franchise. But it was the leadership of Pandit Nehru and freedom fighters that motivated us to fight for our rights,” she said. “In the 50s, 60s and early 70s, party members used to gather at junctions, beating drums. They would give speeches on unity, joblessness, and development. Graffiti and street plays were important parts of the election campaigns,” she recalled. After her husband’s discharge as a stenographer from the British Army, they settled in Kollam. Kamalakshi currentlyresides with her youngest son.