Their achievements, they realise, have been talked about even in far away Tuticorin; their story is inspirational enough to prompt this group of young men to make the trip, to seek them out, to shake them by the hand and wish them well.
Surprised and pleased, Mallika welcomes the young men into her home; she hurries into the kitchen and returns with pieces of plum cake on paper plates, for her youthful benefactors. They chat, sharing the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the young.
Mallika has another item on her day's agenda -- she needs to visit the Kanna Girls Higher Secondary School, her alma mater, to thank her teachers for helping her get where she is today.
It was from this school that she passed out in 2003, with 1126/1200 in her Higher Secondary exam. She applied for the medical college, did the entrance exam -- "Not very well", she says ruefully -- and failed to get admission.
She then applied in the local teacher's training college, got a seat in the open merit category, and qualified. She found a job in the local primary school to supplement her parents' meager income, and help out with the expenses of younger brother Kanagaraj, who is currently doing his BSc in Forestry.
Mallika and Thenmozhi have, by the simple act of bucking decades-old trends and making it to medical college, become poster children in their little town -- literally so, for posters starring the two, created by their school, are plastered all over the walls.
With recognition, has come an appreciation for their struggle, and a willingness to help. Vijay Kumar and his mates are one example; local advocate Veeraputhiran, who runs a small trust, is another.
When the news broke, and Veeraputhiran realised that the straitened financial circumstances of the three students, he collected money from friends and local businessmen, and pitched in to pay their fees.
Meanwhile, an emissary arrives from Renuka Textiles, in distant Theni. His owner, he says, had read of the three students and wanted to help. If they could come to the showroom, they could for free pick out appropriate clothes, so they could go to college without feeling inferior to others.
The three decide to make the 170 km trip to Theni the next day, with one of their parents as escort.
K Raj, branch manager of the local Indian Bank, has come to see Mallika with good news -- the bank has sanctioned loans to the tune of Rs 1.87 lakh, to help pay their expenses.
Time is at a premium. Mallika is looking forward to life in medical college, and its hostel -- and already dreaming ahead. When she was in 12th standard, she had dreamt of becoming a doctor; now that she is moving towards fulfillment of that dream, she is looking ahead to doing her MS once she has her basic medical degree.
Image: Another academic year begins as the Kanna Girls school strives to unearth more Mallikas.
Also read: A day in the life of a school in Bihar
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