Sivarani

Sivarani was one of the brightest of the children we had taught. Her father, a landless labourer, with two other children, put together every penny he could to further her studies. She wanted to be a teacher, and went to Tirupathi to do her B.Ed (some shorter equivalent). there she shared a room with six other classmates, where they would cook for themselves on a kerosene stove and go to college and study.

She told me one day - 'Madam, it was not easy. My roommates used to go shopping on weekends. They used to ask me along. I had to tell them finally that my background was different, and that my father was a landless labourer, and was with many sacrifices paying my fees. That i could not afford to buy anything over basic food. They understood and then things were clearer and easier.'

This child finished her course, taught in a private schhol after that for Rs. 2500/- p.m. Her father fell very ill by then, partly due to overwork. Her salary helped handle the illness expenses. She also got her two younger brothers educated. She used to worry that she could not buy slippers for her college going brother and that he used to feel bad going to college slipperless ...


The children grow strong as they face life in its raw reality.