METTUPALAYAM: A 35-year-old woman of the Alu Kurumba tribe, independently raising her four children and caring for her elderly parents in Puliyamaram near Kallar, Mettupalayam, received a respite from the daily grind in the form of a phone call from Delhi last week.
The phone call informed Suseela K that the Ministry of Home Affairs has awarded the prestigious Padma Shri (Art and Culture) to her late husband, R Krishnan, for his cloth paintings inspired by ancient rock art.
Krishnan, who passed away in March 2025, is credited for the revival of the Kurumba’s artistry through his cloth paintings for over three decades using organic paints from materials gathered in forests.
While this recognition is significant, Krishna wanted to secure a GI tag for the craft so that the artists have intellectual rights over the art they create.
“We have to thank God for the award as it is a recognition of his dedicated artwork, a talent he inherited from his grandfather at the age of six,” said Suseela, who, after collecting arecanuts and working on the farm all day, earns a daily wage of `300.
“I have not received any information regarding the date and venue of the award ceremony, and how many family members can accompany me, etc.,” Suseela said. “I wish I could take all my children to receive his award. However, considering our financial situation, I don’t know if it could be realised.”
The `300 she receives daily is insufficient to lighten the burden on her shoulders. The family used to live in Vellarikombai, a tribal settlement near Kotagiri. About a year and a half ago, they moved to a small house in Mettupalayam to live with her parents, Kannan and Rangiyammal. As a blood sugar patient, Kannan, 65, is unable to work. Rangiyammal, 62, works three days a week as a casual farm labourer at an arecanut grove.
Unable to afford tuition and hostel fees at a private college in Udhagamandalam, Nilgiris district, the single woman’s eldest daughter, Vasuki, was forced to discontinue her BSc Nursing programme in 2025 during the first year itself. On Friday, Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Taneeru assured a re-admission for Vasuki.
The second child, Rahul, is a Class 9 student at Seeliyur Government Higher Secondary School. The other two children, Geetha and Keerthika, are in Class 7 and Class 4 at Aravenu Government High School.
If Krishnan had been awarded when he was alive, Suseela said, the family would have been happier. “My husband’s dream was having the family live in a house built of concrete so that the children have a peaceful life, protected from the rain and summer heat,” Suseela said.
“I would be really happy if the state or centre provided financial assistance for us to set up a shop where we can market our produce, or a government job,” appealed Suseela.