IDUKKI: Annalakshmi’s life as a teacher working at the lone anganwadi in Thayannankudi, a remote tribal settlement located within the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, in Idukki, has been one full of adventure, risk – and reward.
It was only a week ago that she narrowly escaped a wild elephant that had strayed on to the forest path to the settlement. On February 6, a 57-year-old tribal man was trampled to death by the same animal in Chinnar.
Notwithstanding, Annalakshmi continues to trek the route – something which she has been doing for the past 17 years – that includes a jungle path with no mobile network connectivity or even a motorable road for 6 km – to reach her students.
Speaking to TNIE, the 38-year-old says she had joined as an anganwadi worker in Thayannankudi in 2007, when she was just 21. Since then, the sanctuary and the tribes have been a part of her life.
“I start from my home in Pallanadu at 6.45 am. After passing Marayur town, I proceed towards the Chinnar sanctuary. This 6-km trek through the forest is the only route to the settlement. It’s only when I return to Marayur, some 16km from Chinnar, at 5pm, that my family can reach me on my phone,” she points out.
With her years of experience traversing the route and interactions with the tribes people, Annalakshmi has learnt to locate the presence of wild animals on her journey. “I check for footprints, which offer a clear indication of animals. Besides, the odour of wild elephants gives away their presence,” she adds.
Despite this acquired skill, there have been occasions when Annalakshmi and her companion and anganwadi helper Alphonsa have been chased by wild elephants. They managed to escape each time by hiding behind large trees or rocks.
Recounting her initial years as a teacher, Annalakshmi says Muthuvan parents were initially reluctant to send their kids to the anganwadi. “They would carry their kids in a cloth sling into the dense forest and farmlands where they work,” she remembers.
The situation has now improved, and Annalakshmi, who speaks the Muthuvan language fluently, is the tribal folk’s beloved teacher. “Instead of going with their mothers, the children now prefer to stay with me at the anganwadi,” says the mother of a five-year-old and a 12-year-old.
However, Annalakshmi says that although teaching marginalised tribal kids has been life-fulfilling, lack of network connectivity and the threat posed by wild animals have forced her to seek a transfer several times. “I met with a road accident in 2016 when I was returning home from the settlement. But my family came to know about the incident in the late evening when I was taken to a private hospital in Marayur for treatment,” she said
Of the Rs 12,500 she gets as monthly salary, Annalakshmi spends Rs 6,000 just on travel. “Despite the hardships, the only light at the end of the tunnel are the kids and their innocent faces,” she stresses.