MADURAI: Following the footsteps of her late daughter, who worked to uplift underprivileged children, a 52-year-old woman from Madurai donated an acre and 52 cents of land to upgrade a government school here.
Aayi Ammal alias Pooranam, a resident of Pudur, works as a clerk in Canara Bank. On January 5, she donated the land, worth nearly Rs 7 crore, to her alma mater, the Panchayat Union Middle School in Kodikulam so that it could be developed into a high school.
Her only request was that the school be named after her daughter U Janani, who passed away two years ago.
In the age of social media, when people choose to publicise even the slightest acts of generosity, Pooranam silently registered her land as a gift to the school.
Pooranam’s act of benevolence came to light only after she handed over the documents to the Chief Educational Officer K Karthiga, after which she was lauded by people from different walks of life, including Madurai MP S Venkatesan and Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.
Subject to hardships from a young age, Pooranam lost her husband when Janani was an infant. Subsequently, she got her husband’s job on compassionate grounds and faced immense struggles to raise her daughter.
Pooranam fondly remembers Janani, a B. Com graduate, as a person who always extended a helping hand to underprivileged children and tried to uplift them through education.
Pooranam decided to donate the land she inherited from her late father. Her daughter had championed the cause of education for the underprivileged.
Chief Minister MK Stalin announced a special reward to appreciate Pooranam. “Education is the real, imperishable wealth. Aayi Ammal alias Pooranam, from Kodikkulam, Madurai has donated an acre and 52 cents of her land to build an additional building for the government school... Aayi Ammal shows how the Tamils value education and teaching, and will be honoured with a special award from the CM on behalf of the government on the upcoming Republic Day,” Stalin posted on X.
Speaking to TNIE, Pooranam said she did not expect such a response to her act. “I just gifted the land to the school and handed over the document to the chief educational officer a week ago. I believe education is the only tool to transform society. I donated my ancestral property wholeheartedly to uplift the lives of the rural children.”
CM’s honour
In recognition of her charitable mindset, she will be honoured with the CM’s Special Medal at Republic Day celebrations, CM MK Stalin has said.