To help a girl take exam, Kerala plies a 70-seater boat just for her

To help a girl take exam, Kerala plies a 70-seater boat just for her

Sajimon.PS@timesgroup.com

Alappuzha:1.6.2020

On Friday and Saturday, a 70-seat Kerala state water transport department (SWTD) boat with just one passenger made the round trip from water-logged MN Block in Alappuzha district to Kanjiram in Kottayam district so that Sandra Babu could write her Plus One exams.

Passenger boats in the scenic Kuttanad area, which is situated below sea-level and is an official Ramsar Site (under the international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands), were suspended ever since the lockdown began, and when fresh dates for the deferred HSC exams were announced, Sandra, whose parents are daily wage workers, was at first sure she would miss them.

“I thought I would miss the examinations as I didn’t have any means to reach my school. But then, I contacted the SWTD office and informed them of my plight. They understood my situation and promised to send a boat. I am really proud of SWTD and I don’t know how to share my happiness,” Sandra gushed.

Despite the lone passenger, the boat had its full complement of crew – the driver, a srank (navigator), a boat master and two lascars (for assisting the master in mooring). On both days, the boat picked up 17-year-old Sandra from a jetty close to her home at sharp 11.30am and plied all the way to Kanjiram, dropping her at the jetty in front of SNDP Higher Secondary School at around 12 noon. The boat waited for her till she finished her exam and then dropped her back at around 4pm.

Officials at SWTD were perhaps unaware of a famous Japanese precedent, when a remote station was kept open for three years to pick up just one passenger— a schoolgirl— so that she could go to school get to class, but their heart-warming gesture towards Sandra has earned them widespread goodwill.

SAILING AHEAD: Sandra Sabu in the SWTD boat