Mannuthy: A good neighbour can indeed change your life for the better. Thekkepurakkal Ramesh was lucky to have not just one but the entire students of the school next door to come to his aid during bad times.
The students of Don Bosco School, Mannuthy, have built a new house for him in place of the old one which collapsed during the heavy rains that lashed Kerala in August. The key of the house was handed over by city police commissioner G H Yatheesh Chandra.
Ramesh, an autorickshaw driver, and family lived in single-room mud house with a tile roof which was built with a loan. When the house crumbled, the family was in despair.
Seeing their plight, the Fr Geo Kalladanthi, the principal of Don Bosco school, Thomas, an engineer, and the staff of Seven Seas Distillery came to the rescue. Around 100 student volunteers of the school’s NSS wing promised their services to build a new house.
Work was completed in a month. During this time, Ramesh and family stayed at the house of one Shamsudeen nearby. With the support of good-hearted people, household items like fridge, mixer-grinder, cot and mattress were handed over to the family.
The house construction was carried out under the leadership of teachers Sajeev, Rakesh and Litty George and students Rahul, Shelna, Basil Sunny and Ansha.
When Ramesh’s family shifts from one-room hut to a three-room house, they have no words to thank the selfless students who gave them a fresh lease of life.