Thiruvananthapuram: Bismi is happy that she could bring a smile to her mother’s face after months. She had lost her father Victor to Ockhi cyclone that lashed coastal Kerala only a few months ago. Like Bismi, who scored four A+, four A, one B+ and one B, several kids from the cyclone-hit villages have braved the most tragic phase of their lives to give the public examination and qualify for higher studies.
“Bismi is a smart kid. She could have fared even better. She went through a very toughphase of her life,” says her mother Alparashi, who is willing to pull out all stops to educate her daughter further. “She wants to pursue science stream. She has to fulfill her father's dreams,” she added. Victor’s body was one of the first to be retrieved after the disaster.
Hari, son of Francis, who had gone missing in the cyclone, also passed with flying colours. His mother Jenobe had pawned her gold to educate him and his sibling and to pay off debts. Seenu S, son of Sebastianadima, also became eligible for higher studies. He wants to pursue science stream In Plus Two and according to his mother Mini, his father never wanted him to be a fisherman.
Vizhinjam parish had conducted extensive counselling sessions to help the children recover from the shock and prepare them for the examination. “Many of these kids were deeply attached to their fathers. Most of the fisherfolk badly want their kids to be educated and obtain good jobs,” said Kottapuram ward councillor Shyni W.