DHARMAPURI: Who said a granddad can only tell stories? What if he can do real stunts that can rival film scenes? When a group of six children learnt to their surprise that their ‘grand old man’ was not just a man of words, but of stick and sword, they at once decided to anoint him as their guru.
For 74-year-old S Krishnan, a farmer in Adhiyamankottai, the martial art of Silambam frolics in every muscle of his body.
Having learned this traditional martial art of Tamil Nadu from his village elders almost five decades ago, Krishnan didn’t bother much when his grandchildren wanted something different to pass time, for they were too bored because of the lockdown and closure of schools.
“My grandkids stay at different places. Only on rare occasions, they all come together. This time, the lockdown brought them together,” says Krishnan. The septuagenarian’s skills soon became a talk in the village. Within a few days, villagers started lining up at Krishnan’s house urging him to train their children. As the months passed by, his students’ strength has grown to 60. “It brings me immense joy to pass the knowledge on to next generation,” he says.