Vijayam Kartha

Interview with Vijayam Kartha from Kerala

Vijayam Kartha from Kerala has been a major support for our educational programmes over the years. Because of her husband's job with TISCO she has spent most of her working life in Jamshedpur. Tania Chatterjee finds out what drives Mrs. Kartha.

How did your career as a teacher begin?

I came to Jamshedpur from Kerala in 1974 after my marriage. In 1981, I started my career as a librarian in a school. After completing B.Ed. in 1986, I joined Kerala Samajam Model School (KSMS) as an assistant teacher. While working in KSMS I completed M.A. and M.Ed. in 1992 and 1995 respectively. During this period, I got a series of promotions and became the Principal of KSMS in 1991 - a position I occupied till June 2000. I then resigned from KSMS, to move on to be the Director of Kerala Public Schools.

What are the responsibilities involved in your role as the director of Kerala Public Schools?

KPS has over 7000 students in the six English Medium Schools in Jamshedpur. We also run four absolutely free Hindi Medium Schools for slum children in these school premises in the afternoons. The effort is to provide holistic education and development of a strong character rather than pure academic qualifications. To develop social awareness our schools have undertaken some village development programmes.

Why include village development programmes when the students and teachers complain about the already existing academic burden?

I feel that no syllabus is good enough if there is no scope in it to inculcate the right values in students. We all agree that the root cause of most of the evils plaguing our country is the lack of values. We complain about the 'big bad world outside' and refuse to accept that we have created it. The ultimate aim of education should be to bring up happy, successful and compassionate individuals who have a lot of care and concern for the entire world. Today's average urban child is cut off from the realities of the life and is ignorant of his/her social responsibilities. Through our village development programmes, we try to sensetize our students to the realities of life. Our senior students go to the village from time to time and do 'shramdan'. The presence of the slum children in our campus helps them to look at life from close quarters and understand the sufferings of fellow human beings.

How has your family supported you?

There won't be any Vijayam minus family I belong to. I consider it my great fortune to have a loving and supportive family and friends. I was a very shy and timid person to start with. It was the encouragement from my family and friends, which has helped me to come out of my shell. They rejoice in the smallest of my achievements and, therefore, add meaning and beauty to my life.

Can you recollect any incident, which has touched your life as a teacher deeply?

Recently, I was in my office when a young man of 21 walked in. He said, "Mam, I hope you remember me..." I recognised him and before he could continue, I held his hand and said, "You are Sreekumar, who was in class 4B in 1986, who used to sit in the second bench next to the window..." I saw tears in his eyes. I could still remember him as a little boy whose mother was not keeping well. His father had taken him back to his native place after his mother had expired. We were meeting after fifteen years but the same affection for him was surging in my heart. He told me that all these fifteen years he remembered me and wanted to see me. In the evening, there was a phone call. "Mam, the love which I have not received for last fifteen years, I got in those fifteen minutes. Thank you." He keeps in touch regularly. One day he called me up and after exchanging pleasantries, he told me shyly "Mam, I called you up because it is Mother's Day today." I was overwhelmed with joy and thanked Lord for giving me so much of affection and love. This, wealth of affection and unconditional love that I earn will remain in my heart forever.

How did you first meet IofC?

I first met IofC in the year 1991 when two IC friends invited me for a Conference. I could not attend the conference but was fascinated by this ideology. Since then, I have become a part of the team in Jamshedpur. My first visit to AP was for a Family Conference in the year 1992. Since then, I am a regular visitor and each visit helps me to recharge my batteries and strengthen my commitment to my work. The principles of IC help to look within and seek direction for what one is meant to do with the gift of life. Its absolute principles especially of love, fascinated me as I believe that if you have unconditional love for others the rest (honesty, purity and unselfishness) will automatically follow. Sharing and learning from one's personal experiences is an important aspect of MRA. Listening to various people helped me to accept my own limitations. This, in turn helped me to improve my relationship with my students and colleagues. Being honest and transparent in my dealings with my colleagues and students also helped me a great deal in my personal and professional growth. But I still have a long way to go and to learn more.