When Shalini Thankachan, a former teacher of Government LP School, Mundakkai, was re-transferred to the institution the other day under the special direction of Education Minister V Sivankutty, it was a reunion of a rare blend of joy and sorrow.
She had been transferred to GLP School, Meenangadi, on June 14, 46 days before the devastating landslide washed away parts of the Mundakkai and Chooralmala villages in the wee hours of July 30. The parting moments had been emotional for both students and the teacher, who hugged each other and wept. The other teachers had to forcibly separate her from the students back then. The landslides claimed the lives of 11 children at the school, including a few who were very close to Shalini.
On Monday (September 2), during the Praveshanolsavam for GLP School, Mundakkai held at a temporary facility at the Government Higher Secondary School in Meppadi, a group of children accosted Minister Sivankutty with a novel demand. The minister assured them they could ask him anything and he would try to address the issues. The children demanded the re-transfer of their dearest Shalini teacher. Realising the bond between the teacher and the students, the minister decided to green signal the plea as he thought it would help them recoup their mental state at this crucial juncture of their lives.
On Friday, the teacher was back and was given a rousing but emotionally charged welcome by the children. The children hugged the teacher, some kissed her on the cheek, and one was carried by her to the classroom. An emotionally charged Shalini sobbed when memories of the lost children came to her mind.
Onmanorama carried a story regarding the tough and harrowing task of a group of teachers, including Shalini Thankachan, called in to identify the retrieved dead bodies of their wards during the post-calamity days.
Shalini told Onmanorama that she had a close bond with the children at Mundakkai. “We used to sing, dance, and play together,” she said. The teacher used to wear a churidar that was almost the same colour as the school uniform. “I taught a few to ride a bicycle,” she said. The landslides swept away two students who wanted to learn cycling from her.
“First, I will focus on curing the minds of the students,” she said. Shalini also thanked the students and parents for their efforts to ensure her return when they needed her more. The visuals of the teacher and students riding bicycles, shot by news channels a year ago, went viral on social networking sites.