Akshaya’s medal, a silver lining for Palakkad home still groping in darkness

Thiruvananthapuram: When G Akshaya won the silver medal in the 3,000 metres race for senior girls at the Kerala State School Sports and Games on Thursday, it brought rare joy to her family’s humble home — a single-room thatched hut in Palakkad.

“We have a reason to be happy after years of sadness,” said her father Guruvayurappan, 50, his words reflecting the hardships the family has endured. They live in a dilapidated hut without electricity on a 6.5-cent plot at Kosakkuzhi, Modakkode, Panangattiri in Elavancherry, Palakkad.

At night, the family sleeps outdoors on cots for want of space inside. It was between these cots that Akshaya first began to run — a simple start to what would become her passion and purpose.

But their story is also marked by pain. Akshaya’s elder sister, Archana, who once joined her in running and playing, was diagnosed with fluid accumulation in her heart at the age of 18. Doctors at Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram advised surgery, but the family had to return home without undergoing the procedure as they could not afford the month-long stay in the city.

Archana had to give up her studies too, as the family could not afford daily transport to school. Her father now works as a driver in Kozhikode, visiting home only once a month, while trying to save money for her treatment. Their mother, Soumya, 38, works on a vegetable farm to keep the household running.

Akshaya and her younger brother Akhil, a class 8 student, continue their studies amid these challenges. The family now survives with some relief from a ₹5,000 monthly assistance provided by the Kozhikode-based MVR Charitable Trust.

Through it all, Akshaya’s determination on the track has been their greatest source of hope. Every morning, she boards a bus at 4.45 am to travel 35 km from Panangattiri to Palakkad town for training.

A Plus-One student at RPM HSS, Panangattiri, Akshaya had bagged third place in the Cross Country event at last year’s State School Sports and Games. Though she suffered an injury during the Palakkad district meet this year, she recovered in time to compete and finally triumph in the state-level event in Thiruvananthapuram.

Akshaya still has two more events to go — the 1,500 metres and Cross Country — and her family hopes her success will continue to shine through their struggles.