Kochi: The members of a WhatsApp group of alumni of the Muvattupuzha Nirmala College celebrated their reunion on Thursday by distributing school bags, notebooks and other materials among tribal students of Marayur in Idukki a day before reopening of the schools. "The old students of 1993-96 batch formed a WhatsApp group 'Friends of Nirmala'. When we decided to hold a reunion, we wanted it to be a memorable one. And what better way than to help the poor tribal kids with materials needed to go to school," said Aji Kuttappan, a police personnel with the Government Railway Police, Ernakulam South.
The members raised funds among themselves and set off to the tribal settlement deep in the forest on Friday morning. "We travelled through the Marayur-Chinnar forest route but after some point, the jeep would not go further. We walked nearly 2.5 kms before we could reach the first tribal settlement (Kudi). The next one was another five km away deep in the forest," Mr Aji said. The members distributed the materials to children of six 'kudis' and also handed over cash prize to two students who bagged A Plus in three and two subjects respectively.
"We've to salute them for emerging victorious in the exam fighting all odds in life. Each settlement has a small building where the school (up to class V11) functions under the government project 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' (SSA). The kids' happiness knew no boundaries when they got a 'bag' to carry to the school, something they are not used to. We only wanted that," he said.
