Kerala's 'role model' Karthyayani Amma struggles to make ends meet in real life

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 26 The Kerala tableau portraying Karthyayani Amma, the winner of Nari Shakti Puraskar, stole the show at the 74th Republic Day parade in New Delhi. However, in real life, the bedridden Amma is finding it tough to make her both ends meet.

Her daughter is working as a domestic help to take care of her aged, bedridden award-winning mother.

On Thursday, when the impressive parade was going on and the Kerala tableaux was shown on TV channels with the commentary describing the tableaux and about Amma, a crowd had gathered at Amma's house near Kollam and they were showing the live visuals to her on a mobile phone.

Amma, who is into her 100th year, is now completely bedridden after suffering a stroke and is paralysed below the hips.

In 2018, she was inspired to take a learning course by her daughter, who had passed an examination at the age of 60.

In August 2018, she took an examination alongside 40,362 other people, as part of the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority's Aksharalaksham ('Million Letter') programme.

At the age of 96, she was the oldest person to take the test in her district. She had been given lessons in reading and writing by her great-grandchildren, who were nine and 12 years old.

Tested on reading, writing and mathematics, Amma scored 98 out of a possible 100 marks, giving her the top grade.

In March 2020, she was honoured with the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2019 award, presented by the then President Ram Nath Kovind.