Anyone who keeps learning stays young, they say. And here is a mind-blowing scene from Thrikkaruva in Kollam district of Kerala where a 105-year-old woman appeared for the fourth standard equivalency examination on Tuesday.
Bhageerathi Amma was forced to give up formal education at the age of nine as she had to shoulder family responsibilities and take her of her younger siblings after her mother passed away. In another blow, she lost her husband in her 30s, and the entire responsibility of bringing up their six children fell on her shoulder.
Now she resumed her studies under the Kerala State Literacy Mission. KSLM Director P.S. Sreekala said Amma was the oldest ‘equivalency learner’ in the mission.
Even at this advanced age, she has sharp memory and has no problems relating to eye sight and she also sings well, said Vasanth Kumar, mission’s resource person.
Amma has 12 grand and great grand children. She lives with her youngest daughter, Thankamani, who is 67-year-old.
Last year, 96-year-old Karthiyayani Amma had secured high marks in a literacy examination held in the state. She was the oldest candidate who appeared for the “Aksharalaksham”, a flag ship programme of the state-run Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority and scored 98 marks out of 100.
With inputs from PTI
