THE GUARDIAN ANGEL!

We all believe in a guardian angel who comes as a blessing in disguise when we are in desperate need for help and support. We are now to witness the remarkable journey of two girls for whom the guardian angel appeared in the form of a teacher who volunteered to teach them English! This is the story of Child Ananya* and Child Adithi* from Tiruvallur!

Mr Godhandaraman, worked as an a/c mechanic in Padi, Chennai. His wife, Mrs Swapna had completed MCA, but she was never employed as her family did not support that. The couple led a comfortable life with a steady income. Their daughters, Ananya and Adithi were excelling as students of Sri Venkateshwara School, Thirumullaivoyil. When the pandemic stuck, many households lost their sole breadwinner. This little family too faced the same fate! The family was devastated when Godhandaraman lost his life to Covid-19. Their life turned topsy turvy in just a day. The family couldn’t come to terms with his death.

Eventually, Swapna took over the reins of looking after her family. She had a strong education to back her. But she had her ailing parents to take care of too, preventing her from taking up employment outside home. She began taking tuitions for the children in the vicinity. Being an excellent teacher, her classes slowly gained momentum and the family was afloat again. She also started taking online tuition classes to meet the family’s running expenses.

Then came the difficulty of paying the children’s school fees. Though the school was empathetic to her, the management was not ready to make considerable concessions in the children’s school fees. So, Swapna took a bold decision to shift the children to a Government school. Since the children excelled in their studies, she faced a lot of criticism for shifting them to a Government school. But she was firm in her decision. “I strongly believe that my children would study well in any school, due to their hard work and commitment. They would definitely be noticed for their academic rigour and discipline,” says the resilient mother.

Pradeep Chellan, the Social Worker from Bala Mandir came to know about this family and met them on  December 16, 2021, and intuitively knew that the family deserved to be in Kinship Care. The young children had a bright spark in their eyes and a strong commitment to do well against all odds. Though the Government school teachers were supportive and Swapna tried to coach the children on her own, she noticed that the children who were earlier good in English, were now lagging in English fluency.

This is when Bala Mandir offered them a helping hand in the form of ‘Happy Reading’. Adithi was enrolled in the programme in October 2022 when she was in Class 4. It was then, the volunteer, Mr. Kannan** stepped into their lives. The child showed immense interest in the classes and in a short span, there was a dramatic change in her language proficiency. The teachers in her school marvelled at her accent. Seeing the difference in Adithi, the mother herself requested for the same classes for Ananya with Mr Kannan.  

To Mr Kannan, the children were not just his students. He treated them as his own kith and kin. He sent them books and stayed with them online to help them read and understand each word, all the way from the US, where he lives. Mr Kannan though he started out as a teacher, has eventually become their mentor and guided them in various academic paths.

Soon after the children were enrolled in Bala Mandir, their immense commitment and thirst for knowledge were identified. Pradeep and the Bala Mandir Management discussed with the mother to shift the children back to a private school where they would get better coaching. She was also intimated that Bala Mandir would support their partial fee. But the mother politely refused,  citing that she strongly believes her children would excel wherever they are. She also mentioned that she wanted her children to settle in Government jobs and that they would get preference for it if they were from a Government school. Mr Kannan was even ready to sponsor the whole education for the children as he had seen their calibre. But the mother was very clear on her expectations about her children. Her decision was respected and the children continue excelling in the Government school till date. The mother spends extra time with her children to coach and train them on her own to face the competitive world!

Now, both the children are attending classes with Mr Kannan regularly and have picked up speed and fluency. The mother, who gives a lot of importance to education, is very content with the classes and the support they have received from Bala Mandir. “I will forever be grateful to Bala Mandir for introducing us to Mr Kannan. He is not just a teacher for my children. The children see him as a role model,” shares the content mother. Both the children are confident orators now!

The virus might have snatched the lives of many, but has shown people around the world the power of resilience. Bala Mandir did not just offer them strength and support; it also has helped them find a guardian angel who has been a guiding force in the lives of the children!

 *  – Name changed for children

 ** – Name changed for volunteer