Velmani, a student of Sewa Bharati run Sanjeevani Balika Sadan in Thrissur, becomes the first doctor of Attappadi, the most neglected Vanvasi area of Kerala
T Satisan, Kochi
Velmani, a girl student belonging to Vanvasi community, who lived and studied in Sewa Bharti run Balika Sadan (girls’ hostel), in Thrissur District, Kerala, has come out as a doctor. Dr Velmani has passed BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery) scoring very high marks; now she is doing internship. Velmani has been an inmate of Sanjeevani Balika Sadan since her Standard VI. She scored 90 per cent marks in her school final (Standard X) public examinations. She was a student of Sewa Bharti-run CNN School, Cherppu, Thrissur. Her score in the plus 2 examinations was 75 per cent. Then she joined Alphons Kannanthanam Academy for Career Excellence (ACE) Entrance Coaching Centre in Irinjalakkuda, Thrissur. She passed the entrance examinations and got admission in Ayurveda College.
Velmani belongs to Chavadiyoor, one of the remotest villages in the Attappadi tribal area in Palakkad District. Sri Nancha Mooppan and Selvi are her parents. She is one of the four daughters of the parents.
This correspondent spoke to Dr Narayanan of Sewa Bharti-run Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission hospital in Agali, Attappadi. Dr Narayanan informed that nearly two decades ago Shibu, a Sangh Parachark, had started a Sangh shakha in Chavadiyoor, about 10 kms off Agali. To go there itself was a Herculean task; one had to pass through few hills; there were no roads, but only paths in the forest. The whole area was infested by wild animals. It was inhabited by vanvasis sans any sort of contact with the outside world. The children could not go to school, because there was none in the vicinity. They did not know what was happening off their village. Nancha Moopan was the head of the village (Mooppan).
The Sangh shakha had made lot of difference there. The bootleggers stopped that antisocial job which was quite common there. Mooppan, through some agents, sent his daughters to some convents in Thrissur district for school education. Still some agents take children to Christian convents. It has been reported that such more than 900 children are living in several convents in Thrissur and Ernakulam districts.
Dr Narayanan says, most of the children, especially girls, stop education before they reach the 10th standard. Velmani was also taken to such a convent. But, she could not get along with the ambience there. So, she refused to go back there as the school reopened when she was in the sixth standard. Those days, Dr Narayanan happened to meet Nancha Mooppan. When he heard the story of Velmani’s voluntary drop from the school, he facilitated Velmani’s transfer to Sanjeevani. That is how she joined Sanjeevani, run by Swayamsevaks. Dr Narayanan told this correspondent that about 250 plus students from Agali avail education under the umbrella of the Sewa Bharti-run institutions like Sanjeevani.
Speaking to Organiser, Shri Alphons Kannanthanam IAS (Retd), Chairman of ACE Entrance Coaching Centre and BJP National Executive Member exclaimed, “I am very happy that at last it happened and the first doctor of Attappadi is from our institution,” He said that he was so happy that his institution had contributed something to the welfare of Attapadi. So far all the successive governments in the state have abandoned Attapadi and Vanvasi people. It is the beginning of empowering of Vanvasis of Attapadi, he added.
Now, Dr Velmani remembers, with respect, the loving and affectionate behavior and treatment of Bindu, the warden of the Sanjeevani hostel and Dr Narayanan for the right direction provided to her during the most crucial years of her life. Dr Velmani’s life story is a befitting reply to the antisocial and antinationalist propaganda against the hostels run by Swayamsevaks. These days lot of such mudslinging is going on against RSS and its institutions by some vested interests who are keen to keep vanvasis and other weaker sections of the society off the main stream of the national life.
P Vijayan IPS, DIG of Kerala Police, declared with pride that Velmani’s achievement was exemplary. He is not surprised, because, sky is the limit for the students provided they get proper guidelines and encouragement. If proper care be given, more talents will come out from those sections.
