K Santhana Lakshmi was born just before the dawn of the Millennium. This is the story of her life filled with challenges, resilience and determination with an attitude of “I can and I will”.
Since birth, her life has been full of challenges. Her elder sister was a special child, and her family faced many hardships, including financial instability and social disrespect. She began her schooling in Gandhi Primary Matriculation School at Sirumugai in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu. She was promoted to Class 2, but due to family issues, her family shifted to Karamadai from Sirumugai. There, she had study Class 1 again in a private school, just to learn English. This setback came with humiliation and distress. Later, the family returned to Sirumugai, her hometown. She missed nearly seven months of school.
She joined Gandhi Primary Matriculation School, again in Class 1. It was very painful for her to see her old classmates studying in Class 3. She had to hide her emotions and try to adapt. Eventually, she moved to Ambal Matriculation Higher Secondary School from Class 4 onwards, where she improved her English and handwriting. But she never made close friends being older than her classmates, who thought she had failed and they looked down on her.
Her great strength was in extracurricular activities like sports, dance, and karate. Her physical training (PT) teacher became her mentor, taking her to competitions where she won many prizes. However, her father neither supported nor recognized her innate talents. He was battling alcohol addiction and would disappear into bars after receiving his salary. She had seen him being attacked and robbed several times. To find him, she dressed as a boy and went out at night with her mother near the bar where her father was drinking and brought him home in intoxicated condition. These experiences hardened her and made her face every struggle in life with a strong attitude. She also decided that day that her child would never suffer what she endured.
She used to travel around Coimbatore secretly with her PT Madam and got selected for a senior dance team member and a person for national level handwritten competition at the same time but to her bad luck, her father refused permission.
She completed her 10th standard with a score of 88.8% and wanted to take the accounts group in Class XI, but her father insisted that she opted for math’s group. She obeyed him, but it pushed her into depression. Finally, she changed to accounts, defying her father, determined not to repeat past mistakes. In the Account’s group, there were only eight students and she made real friends for the first time in her life. They were bold, free, and responsible for organizing school events, which gave her practical skills and joy out of fulfillment.
Just when she was enjoying her happy school days, fate had other plans for her. Santhana Lakshmi’s parents discovered her secret love for her cousin, Sarath Kumar, three months before her 12th public exams. Their love blossomed silently from childhood. She hadn’t seen him until she found his photo at her grandparents’ house when she was in the 6th standard. He eventually reciprocated her feelings, and they kept it hidden for years. But when her parents found out, the backlash was severe and made it worse with her father’s financial loss of nearly ₹90 lakhs in a scam. She was pressured to marry a boy from a wealthy family, but she categorically refused as she was not willing to forget Sarath, who may not be rich but had a heart of gold. He had a Diploma Certificate but was working as a driver after leaving his job at Coimbatore Airport. He was a blood donor, social worker, and above all, did not touch alcohol. That mattered most to her. Against all odds, they got married and hid in a friend’s house. Three months later, she was pregnant.
His family’s home was a single-room house with an open kitchen and no stove. She cooked in a “choola”. But she was genuinely happy. Sarath resumed the construction of the house that he had commenced before his marriage. Despite joblessness and debt, he endured the hardships of life, often taking up small acting driver jobs to manage expenses.
She went to her parents’ house for delivery. Though her husband would visit her often, relatives mocked at him for being jobless. The medical costs broke him emotionally. But he never gave up. He fulfilled his promise. He completed the house he promised Santhana Lakshmi, though the burden of loans weighed heavily on him. It was a sweet home, though small, she felt it was their own. For the first time in her life, she slept peacefully during rains. When her mom visited her, she said, “This is the first house where I have slept without worrying about the roof.” She gets emotional remembering how she protected her baby with an umbrella and blankets just a few years ago, before the house was completed.
Sarath got a job as a driver in CovaiCare (Covai Chinmayam Retirement Community) and this was the turning point in their life. But she felt she should still shoulder his financial burden. So, she started working at home making cleaning brush for cars, selling dosa batter, homemade oil, mehendi, makeup services, and also taking care of her 2 year old daughter.
Once her child started going to school, she wanted to return to education. People mocked her for studying with a child. But she took that as motivation and studied silently for three months. She passed both 11th and 12th standard public exams in one attempt, scoring 521/600.
CovaiCare Management came to know about Santhana Lakshmi’s thirst for college education and decided to support her financially. She joined a college, fighting not just the society, but her family too, who thought that a mother had no place in a classroom. But being a “Singapen (Lioness) of Kongunadu”, she wasn’t ready to give up. She had the burning desire to study. She got support from Sarath’s mother who took care of their child. Meanwhile, Sarath had some eyesight problem and night driving was prohibited for him by the doctor. CovaiCare, shifted Sarath as an Admin Supervisor in the same retirement community.
A Dream Come True
Santhana Lakshmi successfully completed her college with a first rank. It was a proud moment for her family, friends and well-wishers. The Certificate says it all!
Nothing stopped this Rani Velu Nachiyar in disguise!!
Today she is an achiever, both academically and personally. While everyone around her were very happy to know that she was offered two jobs in the College campus interview and in big companies, Santhana Lakshmi wanted to be part of CovaiCare family. Santana Lakshmi says that CovaiCare has the culture of taking care of its employees and this is the only reason that she declined other jobs and thanked God for fulfilling her dream.
God heard her prayers and Santhana Lakshmi is now under training in CovaiCare to take over the job of Accounts Executive in Covai Chinmayam Retirement Community. Not only will she work with Sarath but the place of work is very close to her home.
CovaiCare’s Management feels that Santhana Lakshmi deserves to be part of CovaiCare family simply because of her grit, determination and desire to achieve in life against all odds. Our best wishes, always!
By
Admin
CovaiCare Retirement Communities