Tea boy from Kovai scores 431 marks
He said he was hoping he would get first group
By : vidyashree dharmaraj
Update: 2015-05-22 07:31 GMT
Coimbatore: The owner of a bakery in the city hurled abuses at the boy when the hot tea cup he carried to a customer slipped from his hand. Those abuses must have stung the boy as he toiled 11 hours a day to earn a paltry per diem. He was a child worker until he was rescued by Childline two years ago. Today, he has come out with 431marks out of 500 and now aspires to be a collector.
M. Kribakaran, a native of Andhiyur in Erode district, lost his mother at a very young age. As his father, a daily wage worker, was unable to educate him he made him work in small hotels and bakeries. They had moved to Coimbatore from Tirupur and the Childline picked up the "errand boy" from a bakery in Kovai, two years ago. He then began doing his schooling at Nallayam High School in Kottaimedu.
The boy who was at his maternal grandad's house in Andhiyur when the results were announced rushed to the Illam. He is a hardworking boy and he will score much better in his Plus-two exams, the staff at Anbu Illam said.
“Though I was interested in studying I never could. I am not happy with the marks I scored because I was expecting much more. I had put in all my effort and had worked hard for almost 10 hours a day studying. Considering that, 86.5 % is a disappointment”, Kribakaran told DC. He said he was hoping he would get first group.
S. Surya and S. Stalin, two brothers, of the same illam have a sad tale to narrate as well. The boys who had scored 362/500 and 376/500 in the SSLC exams were grazing cattle and goats near Sulur when they were rescued by Childline. “They were in a pathetic state when they were picked up, almost like bonded labourers. They struggled to settle down but they manage to study and score impressive marks”, Balamurugan, a staff member of the Illam said.