The novel coronavirus disease or COVID-19, which has brought the world to a near standstill, particularly threatens the lives of the elderly and the immunocompromised. In Kerala, thousands of people who may have contracted the virus are under quarantine, to break the chain of the virus and protect the vulnerable sections of the population
Realising the importance isolation plays in saving the lives of the elderly, 98-year-old Karthyayini Amma, a resident of Alappuzha, decided to write a letter to those undergoing quarantine, thanking them for protecting her and others like her.
"Dear children, you have come from far off countries for different purposes. Now you are sitting inside a room for days without interacting with a soul, just to protect people like me and my children. Your love makes me tear up… We will all face this coronavirus together. Thank you once again my children," the 98-year-old Muttom resident wrote.
Karthiyayini Amma, who is fondly referred to as 'Literacy Granny' or Akshara Muthassi, shot to fame two years ago when she enrolled in Kerala's state literacy mission programme – Aksharalaksham – to educate herself. Her aim, to date, is to graduate class 10 by clearing her exams.
In 2019, she topped Aksharalakhsam exams and scored 98% in Malayalam. Her neighbour and guide Sathi tells TNM that Karthiyayini Amma has been reading her morning papers diligently for over a year and is currently updated on the COVID-19 pandemic gripping over a 100 countries.
"Ammumma (grandmother) has been reading the newspaper every day and is updated on the COVID-19 situation now. She knows the importance of quarantine and realised how difficult it must be for people to isolate themselves from others for 14 days. She said that they are doing it to protect people like her and wanted to thank them," Sathi tells TNM.
So far, 28 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Kerala, with the latest person testing positive in Kasaragode.
In Alappuzha, over 2,449 persons have been placed under quarantine as of Thursday (March 19). Of them, 10 people have been admitted to the isolation wards of different hospitals in the district. In order to boost the morale of these persons, District Collector M Anjana IAS picked up the 98-year-old's letter and decided to print and deliver copies to those in quarantine.
"If not for the literacy mission, Ammumma would not be able to read or probably be so updated on the situation. Now, she and I sit with the paper every day. I also inform her of the daily updates on cases that are being released," Sathi says.