Coimbatore :
Eight years ago residents of tiny hamlets on Manampalli range in Valparai had to wait for days to get a mail delivered as no one came forward to work there as postman due to fear of wild animals.
That’s when R Solaikili, 36, a mother of two from Pollachi got an offer for the job. She had registered her name with the employment exchange. She readily took up the challenge and for eight years has been delivering letters to the hamlets braving rough terrain and unpredictable weather or the occasional encounters with wild animals.
Solaikili says spotting a leopard, wild elephant, bear or a bison would be a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for most. But for her it is an everyday phenomenon. “On the very first day I joined duty, a wild elephant with its calf blocked my path when I was out to deliver letters. I was too scared to go further so I returned to Valparai,” she told TOI after receiving an award in Coimbatore on Wednesday instituted by ‘Namadhu Pangu’ (Our Share), the social arm of Kumaraguru College of Technology.
Solaikilli was born in a family of seven children near Pollachi. She had to discontinue studies after Class 12 due to poverty. She pursued a few computer courses and then registered her name with the employment exchange.
She married a weaver from Coimbatore but her struggles were far from over. So when she got the job offer, she didn’t think twice. “Many of my relatives were against my taking up the offer due to the dangers involved, but my family supported me,” Solaikili said. She has been living with her two children in Manampalli and her husband visits her once a month. “Initially I was too scared to travel up to 15 km per day through deserted mountain pathways to reach the hamlets. Now I am used to it,” she smiles.
Solaikili has also convinced 15 tribal people to take up insurance policy and many others to start a savings account in the post office.
T Vijayalakshmi, 50, from Tharagampatti near Karur was also honoured at the event. Vijayalakshmi is a tractor driver from 2007. “Many people are shocked when they see me driving a tractor.” Vijayalakshmi took to driving their tractor after her son was not available one day to deliver corns.
Before beginning to drive the tractor, Vijayalakshmi assisted her husband V Thangavel who ran a cycle repair shop. Her husband met with an accident and could no longer work. The future of the family turned uncertain which made her to take to the wheel.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by G. Rajeswari, TNN / March 14th, 2015