The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : A noble promise well kept

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Thursday, Jul 01, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

A noble promise well kept

P.V.Srividya

18 year-old U.S. girl of Indian origin comes back to build a science centre

— Photo: B. Velankanni Raj

A DREAM FULFILLED: Lakshmi Somasundaram (right), under whose initiative a science centre was dedicated to the Kasturba Gandhi Kanya Gurukulam in Vedaranyam. U.Mathivaanan, Minister for Dairy Development, is seen in the picture

VEDARANYAM: Two years ago, a 16 year-old girl of Indian origin, born and brought up in the United States, arrived here at Vedaranyam to spend her vacation at the Kasturba Gandhi Kanya Gurukulam (KGKG). Two years later, she returned to KGKG to fulfil a promise she had committed to herself – dedicate a science centre for the girls of Gurukulam.

A nationalist connection

Gurukulam, as KGKG is referred to, was founded as a trust by Sardar Vedarathinam Pillai, a legendary freedom fighter, to pioneer the cause of women's education in the region. Its objective was closely knitted with the nationalist and Gandhian agenda of empowering women through education. Then, it was only fitting that Sardar Vedarathinam, who spearheaded the 1930 salt march in Vedaranyam along with C.Rajagopalachari, paralleling Gandhi's Dandi March , founded the trust in 1946.

Goodness is cyclical, they say. Perhaps, it also has a domino effect. Or so it seemed, when the science centre was dedicated at the initiative of Lakshmi Somasundaram, the granddaughter of Somalay Somasundaram, a Tamil Scholar and also the biographer of Sardar Vedarathnam Pillai.

For the young Lakshmi altruism came naturally, as the girls voiced their aspiration for careers in science and how they were handicapped by the lack of a full-fledged science laboratory. “During my stay here, I learnt about their way of life, what their needs and aspirations were…It was essentially sharing of experiences,” says Lakshmi.

Inspired by their stories, she came out with a DVD on the Gurukulam and played it out to the audience at a convention of the Tamil Nadu Foundation, a US-based NGO working in the field of education in Tamil Nadu.

“After my DVD presentation, I went around amid the audience with a collection box and it began with few dollars and someone dropped a cheque for USD 10,000. That gave me the confidence and finally we had collected over USD 40,000 over a period,” an elated Lakshmi told The Hindu.

On the occasion, A.Vedarathnam, grandson of Sardar Vedarathnam and also the managing trustee of Gurukulam, said the entire structure of Gurukulam was built by such philanthropy, experienced since its inception.

Amid horde of dignitaries that evening, a visibly moved Minister for Dairy Development, U.Mathivaanan, hailed Lakshmi's initiative. Setting aside political clichés he said, “I'm an atheist, yet she has pushed me to call her a gift of God.” Even as Lakshmi signed off, her face radiated fulfilment and urge, to give to the girls of Gurukulam some more goodness.

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