Kerala girl trolled for selling fish after college to get government aid

The 20-year-old woman student who sold fish after college hours in Kerala’s Kochi and was trolled on social media seems to have come to the end of her run of bad luck. The Kerala Khadi Board has given Hanan Hamid the job of brand ambassador and a couple of filmmakers have offered her movie roles.

Hamid came into the public eye last month after the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi carried a story about her struggle. Poverty had forced Hamid to sell flowers when she was 12, after her alcoholic father deserted the family. Her mother is being treated for a mental illness while her brother is in school. Her story struck a sympathetic chord with the people, but some social media users began to troll her in a vicious campaign, and said Hamid had cooked up her story.

“We are planning to make Hanan the ambassador for our products... We hope she can attract youngsters well,” said Kerala Khadi Board vice-chairperson Shobhana George after meeting Hamid on Tuesday.

Hamid called herself the Kerala government’s daughter after meeting chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday.

Vijayan said the state government had assured her support. “I advised her to surge ahead courageously and achieve her goals,” he wrote on Facebook.

First Published: Aug 01, 2018 23:51 IST