See what the young grad students of CUSAT did when they heard the story of Paru Amma !

With every dawn till the dusk, the lady with the graceful smile on her face kept herself busy in her schedule. Days came and days passed but her smile, yet the same as always.

Call the rains, call the sun and the mighty winds but she  was always there to face them and yet doing her best with the same pleasant smile she has been with since so long.

CUSAT spread over 180 acres is the area she works all day long from morning 10 to evening 6 without any break in between and that too with a smile on her face. Now you all know whom I am talking about..

A widow in her late 70’s, survived by 3 daughters and 2 sons, she is the sole bread winner of the family. All 3 daughters are widows and none of the sons have regular jobs. She earns a meager Rs 150 a day as wage and has to work 6 days a week from 10 to 6pm like any other job. Apart from the free cup of tea she receives everyday  from Coffee house, thanks to the owner,  she is on her own to win her daily bread.

Although seemingly exhausted from work, she proudly says with a glee in eye that she was a worker here ever since the land was first surveyed to build the University. She used to earn a hefty Rs 4 per day back then for clearing the forest to make space for construction and roads. 40 years on and infinite University Engineers & Contractors later, that figure is a mere Rs 150.

This is a story, a story of change and a story of bringing back the smile which Paru amma deserved. For the others it is like a mere drop in ocean but for her it is the state of eternal ecstasy which she always deserved.  Nevertheless there are angels who have the strength of making this earth yet again a beautiful place. The story is about the lady and the angels and it is all from our own campus.

I will make sure you echo with the storytelling by Mr. Nitin Vasanth.

 

This is how it all began. Saw her working in the rain one evening. Took her to shelter, asked her why . Got to know her story,which was quite sad. Tried taking up the issue with university officials and Municipal authorities. Nothing had a positive response. Also found later that her house got burned down a month ago and was homeless. Decided to build her a home atleast with what we had.
This is how it all began. Saw her working in the rain one evening. Took her to shelter, asked her why . Got to know her story,which was quite sad. Tried taking up the issue with university officials and Municipal authorities. Nothing had a positive response. Also found later that her house got burned down a month ago and was homeless. Decided to build her a home atleast with what we had.

 

 

 Went to her home the next day which was just behind the campus. This is how her home was when we first went. Something you could barely even call as a home. And to make things worse half of it was burned.Her son lives in the next hut but hardly lets her enter it. Nor takes care of her.
Went to her home the next day which was just behind the campus. This is how her home was when we first went. Something you could barely even call as a home. And to make things worse half of it was burned.Her son lives in the next hut but hardly lets her enter it. Nor takes care of her.

 

With the hope that we would somehow manage funds to build her a new house, we tore down the house completely.
With the hope that we would somehow manage funds to build her a new house, we tore down the house completely.

 

paru-amma (7)
A month on and The base structure was up.

 

 Did all the Cutting and joining works of GI rods from Mechanical lab for the trusses. Big thanks to the Mechanical lab staff for the help.
Did all the Cutting and joining works of GI rods from Mechanical lab for the trusses. Big thanks to the Mechanical lab staff for the help.

 

 Welding ! There is a reason why they teach you welding in First year Engineering . You never know when they come in handy.
Welding ! There is a reason why they teach you welding in First year Engineering . You never know when they come in handy.

 

 Trusses and Roof. ✔
Trusses and Roof. ✔

 

 Plastering ✔
Plastering ✔

 

 Hearing our story, the University Contractor lent us his earth mover when asked for free to clear the front yard. Had it not been for that awesome machine it would have taken us ages. Big thanks to him and the driver !
Hearing our story, the University Contractor lent us his earth mover when asked for free to clear the front yard. Had it not been for that awesome machine it would have taken us ages. Big thanks to him and the driver !

 

Before.
Before.

 

After
After

 

Paint Crew. Missing many though. We'd spent evenings after classes messing with brushes and paint. Fun it was.
Paint Crew. Missing many though. We’d spent evenings after classes messing with brushes and paint. Fun it was.

 

 Painting and wiring done ,ready to occupy !
Painting and wiring done ,ready to occupy !

 

Stories Untold. See the man on the left most part in the background ? He is the owner of a nearby Hotel (Timepass) . Big thanks to him for providing us water for construction as well as food for the labourers throughout. Often the ones who are poor tend to contribute much more than the ones who are rich.
Stories Untold. See the man on the left most part in the background ? He is the owner of a nearby Hotel (Timepass) . Big thanks to him for providing us water for construction as well as food for the labourers throughout. Often the ones who are poor tend to contribute much more than the ones who are rich.

 

 Principal handing over the Key.
Principal handing over the Key.

 

 Worked months to see this happen. And yes it did ! Boiled over.
Worked months to see this happen. And yes it did ! Boiled over.

 

Trust me, Had it not been for this guy we wouldn't have done this. And his great family. Chunk Bro.
The never ending support of Mr.Anantharaman and his family was an outstanding help that we receieved. Thanks to him and his great family.

 

 To this few of us, this was the greatest practical lab we ever had.Civil, Mechanical and Electrical engineering all rolled into one big lab. From masonry to welding, wiring to painting, we done it all. What better way to finish your engineering course kiki emoticon Missing Kiran Suhair Zain Rahul Menon faisal — with Arjun P Parameswaran, Vishnu Gp and Vishnu Muraleedharan Unnithan.
To this few of us, this was the greatest practical lab we ever had.Civil, Mechanical and Electrical engineering all rolled into one big lab. From masonry to welding, wiring to painting, we done it all. What better way to finish your engineering course  Missing Kiran Suhair Zain Rahul Menon faisal — with Arjun P Parameswaran, Vishnu Gp and Vishnu Muraleedharan Unnithan.

 

Wasn’t that the best closure for engineering..

A big thanks to all the teachers who helped fund the construction and stood by us throughout. We did it. PC: Chithambara Moorthii J — with Vishnu Muraleedharan Unnithan, Swethin Surendran, Suhair Zain, Vishnu Gp, Mathews Kavukadan, Arjun P Parameswaran, Azhar Shaa, Rekha James, Roy M Thomas and Anantharaman Gopakumar.
A big thanks to all the teachers who helped fund the construction and stood by us throughout. We did it. PC: Chithambara Moorthii J — with Vishnu Muraleedharan Unnithan, Swethin Surendran, Suhair Zain, Vishnu Gp, Mathews Kavukadan, Arjun P Parameswaran, Azhar Shaa, Rekha James, Roy M Thomas and Anantharaman Gopakumar.

A heartly thanks to our teachers who helped in funding the construction and stood by us throughout. And finally we did it. Paru Amma and her newly built home both looked so good together.

 

How people reacted ?

This would be the most meaningful thing you engineers could possibly do in your entire life. I never knew you were such a wonderful soul Nitin Vasanth ! You’re the kind who shouldn’t get confined in symmetrical cubicles. Wishing Paru Amma many more healthy years! – Neetu Vasanthan

 

Nitin Vasanth Proud of you brother 🙂 – Aashin Thampy 

 

Nitin Vasanth and friends built this old woman a house!
Awesome , hes an extraordinary human being !  – George Mathew

 

With great respect … CUSATians will always be proud of these young determined minds. Great Job guys… Keep it up. – Subhag Raj

 

That made all the difference !!!

Hats Off to every CUSAT’ians behind this.. If you have two mins please read it out.. The best post I have ever shared.. – Jophin

 


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