The charred remains of a school bench is still kept in the modest museum attached to the school. Photo: Rinku Raj Mattancheril
Kattakkada (Thiruvananthapuram): A century separates Panchami and Athira. Panchami was turned away from school because she was branded as an “untouchable” by birth. On Thursday, her great great grand-niece Athira walked into the same school as a celebrity student.
The Ooruttambalam Upper Primary School, where the state-level ‘Praveshanolsavam’ was organized to mark the beginning of the academic year, has a special place in Athira’s family history. It was in this school where little Panchami unwittingly set off the first education rights struggle in erstwhile Travancore.
Panchami, the daughter of Poojari Ayyan and Seetha of Piriyakode near Ooruttambalam, was taken to the school by a group of people led by social reformer Ayyankali. The school teachers, however, refused to let the dalit girl sit with the other children. She was moved to a shack adjacent to the school.
The caste-based discrimination sparked off a people’s movement to ensure education rights to dalit children. In what came to be known as the Kandala agitation, the school was burned up.
The charred remains of a school bench is still kept in the modest museum attached to the school.
Five generations down the line, the school wanted to set the record straight. Local legislator I B Satheesh and panchayat president S Rema led a delegation to Athira’s house to invite the little girl to the school. On Thursday, Athira continued from where her great great grand-aunt had left off.
Education minister C Raveendranath welcomed Athira and her classmates on their first day in school by telling them a little fable. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attended a program at the school decorated with colorful paintings.
Athira is the great great grand-daughter of panchami’s sister Seethamma. She is the daughter of Deepthi, grand-daughter of Seethamma’s daughter Madhavi.
