Tender coconut seller Thaiyammal stands tall !!

The coconut has cultural and religious significance in India offered to Gods and used in rituals.   ‘ilaneer’ is sold and consumed in large quantities – one would be interested or frightened by the way, the top of tender coconut is cut with a sickle (aruval) wielded deftly by the seller  ! 

Tender coconut water is a wholesome, nutritious drink. It is one of the most preferred drinks in India.  Since the early 21st century, coconut water has been marketed in Western countries as a natural energy or sports drink having low levels of fat, carbohydrates, and calories, and significant electrolyte content.    

There are eternal negativists .. . .. people who claimed that they had hell lot of difficulty during demonetization, not able to access their bank accounts !; then whole lot cribbing that Covid lockdowns have crippled economy .. .. honestly, how many Office goers were affected economically, were not people getting their salary credits in time !  .. .. and how many of us could save say Rs.2500/- or more per month .. .. but have WE ever donated this much for a noble cause.  If yes, would our donation be of a higher % of our earning than this noble soul, the hero of the post brought to limelight by Honble Prime Minister himself.   

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji  on Sunday said that awareness about education is visible at every level in society and mentioned that India is a sacred land of education and knowledge. Citing an example, the Prime Minister said, Thaimmal living in Udumalpet block of Trippur district of Tamil Nadu is very inspiring. 

"Taimmal ji does not have any land of his own. For years, their family is making a living by selling coconut water. The financial condition may not be good, but Taimmal ji had left no stone unturned to educate her  son and daughter. Her  children studied in Chinnaveerampatti Panchayat Union Middle School. One day in the meeting with the parents in the school, it was raised that the condition of the classrooms and school should be improved; the school infrastructure should be fixed. Thaimmal ji was also in that meeting. She  heard everything," said PM Modi while addressing Mann Ki Baat today.  When the meeting screeched to a halt due to paucity of funds, none could have imagined what Thaiammal did. The person who ekes out a living by selling tender coconut donated Rs. 1 lakh to the school, our Hon’ble Prime Minister said.   

 

                                                        pic : The Hindu /twitter

M. Thaiammal, who runs a tender coconut shop along with her husband Arumugam in Chinnaveerampatti village panchayat, donated the money to the Panchayat Union Middle School in the village. According to the school’s headmaster, N. Inbakkani, she visited the institution on January 8. “She had heard that we were looking for funds under the Namakku Naame scheme to construct a building for the school,” he said.  Mr. Inbakkani conveyed this to the Chief Educational Officer of Tiruppur district, R. Ramesh, following which Collector S. Vineeth felicitated Ms. Thaiammal and her husband at the Collectorate on January 11, 2022. 

PM Shri Modiji added, "Indeed, it takes a big heart, a sense of service, to do this. Taimmal ji says that in the school,  there are  classes till 8th standard. Now when the infrastructure of the school improves, classes till higher secondary education will be held. This is the same sentiment I was talking about regarding education in our country." The Prime Minister said that India has been the sacred land of education and knowledge. 

In his monthly radio address to the nation, Mr. Modi explained how Ms. Thaiammal came to know that the Panchayat Union Middle School at Chinnaveerampatti was looking for funds to improve infrastructure and appreciated her gesture of donating ₹1 lakh from her savings. “To do this, you need a very big heart and an urge to render service,” he said, adding that Ms. Thaiammal got both her children educated at the same school. 

All of us [at Chinnaveerampatti] are overjoyed,” school headmaster N. Inbakkani said. Established in 1925, the school has around 650 students. It plans to construct 12 classrooms. “Work on construction of four classrooms has started under the ‘Namakku Naame’ scheme, and we need funds for constructing the other classrooms,” he said. "Mann ki Baat" is the Prime Minister's monthly radio address, which is broadcast on the last Sunday of every month. The programme will be broadcast on the entire network of AIR and Doordarshan and also on AIR News and mobile app. The first episode of the programme was broadcast on October 3, 2014.

அவ்வையார் மூதுரையில் உரைத்தது :  

நன்றி ஒருவர்க்குச் செய்தக்கால் அந் நன்றி

'என்று தருங்கொல்?' என வேண்டா- நின்று

தளரா வளர் தெங்கு தாள் உண்ட நீரைத்

தலையாலே தான் தருதலால்.

              ஒருவர்க்கு உதவி செய்யும்போது, அதற்கு ப்ரதியுபகாரமும்,  நன்றியும் எப்போது கிடைக்கும் என்று கருதி செய்யக்கூடாது.  எப்படிப்பட்ட நீரை வேர் மூலம் உண்டாலும், நன்கு தளராது  வளர்ந்துள்ள தென்னை மரம் அந்நீரை சுவையான இளநீராக தந்து விடும்.  அதுபோல ஒருவர்க்கு செய்த சிறு உதவியும் பெரிய  விதத்தில் நமக்கு ஒரு காலம் நிச்சயம் நன்மை பயக்கும்.

Salute the spirit of M. Thaiammal and bow to her noble gesture .. .. also appreciate our Hon’ble Prime Minister for highlighting such great acts. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
30^th Jan 2022.