Chinnampathy is a small tribal village located on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, a two hours&rsquo; drive from Coimbatore. The village erupted in joy after Santhiya Sanmugam secured her BCom degree in Computer Applications; she is the first and only graduate from the village. In the tribal community, education was not given priority as most of the men and women earn their livelihood from doing odd jobs. &ldquo;People in my village hesitate to send their kids to school beyond standard five,&rdquo; Sanmugam reveals. &ldquo;I really fought to break this pattern and prove that only education can take us to greater heights. My mom stood by my decision and wanted to move us out of the shell.&rdquo; Sanmugam went on to do a degree in Computer Applications and completed courses in GST and Tally as well.She recalls that the journey to a degree was not easy, as going to school and college meant taking the only available government bus or walking kilometres through the forest full of dangerous animals. &ldquo;At times, during the rainy season, the buses didn&rsquo;t come on time, and I used to walk nearly seven Kilometres through the forest, but I was never going to give up on my studies,&rdquo; recalls Sanmugam, who adds that her dream is to try for the civil service. She is passionate about becoming an IAS officer.&lsquo;&lsquo;During the rainy season, the buses didn&rsquo;t come on time, and I used to walk nearly seven Kilometres through the forest&rsquo;&rsquo;Currently, she is ensuring that the kids at her village are not deprived of education due to the ongoing pandemic. The schools are shut and the village has too weak a mobile network for children to learn via online coaching. &ldquo;I have been giving children tuitions even during my school days. Due to the pandemic and lockdown, they are unable to study, and they are wasting their time playing in the forest, which is not really safe.&rdquo; Besides free education, Sanmugam also teaches them folk dance and music during the classes. At present, nearly 30 kids study with her, and she hopes the number will increase. &ldquo;Education can be the enabler to uplift the society. I really wish my people would take education more seriously, and I would like to see many more graduates from my village. &rdquo; she signs off.

CARRYING THE BATON FORWARD

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