COIMBATORE: Students of Government Tribal Residential High School at Kargudi in Gudalur in the Nilgiris district get to relish mathi meen kulambu (sardine fish curry) on Saturdays, apart from their usual food menu.
Thanks to the school headmistress K Kalavathi (58) who spends money from her pocket to buy fishes from the market to cook and serve her students for the past four years.
With fish curry finding a place in the school's food chart, the students prefer staying back at the school instead of going home as they could tantalise their taste buds with the delicious fish curry.
Speaking to TNIE, Kalavathi said she came to know that the students like to eat fish after visiting their settlements.
"All my students from the tribal community go fishing during weekends. Seldom do they find a good catch, but feel surprised if they manage to hook some. This is when I thought of making arrangements at school to cook fish curry for them during weekends," she added.
Sharing about the tasty fish curry, a class X student R Rajeswari (15) said that she feels at home in the school with the administration cooking fish for them during the weekend.
Another student S Prathap (16) said that he settles down with a plate full of rice with sardine fish curry to enjoy the feast.
"The noon meal worker prepares chicken as it is already in the weekly menu. But, it is my sole interest to buy fish for my students," the headmistress added.