VELLORE: Social reformer Subramanya Bharathi, saint poet Thiruvalluvar and many other luminaries walk out of the textbooks into this panchayat school classrooms to impart their wisdom and philosophies to young minds. Well, at least for the students here, they do.

It all happened when one teacher decided to do his job with the heart in the right place. In this case, the teacher is ‘Theruvilakku’ Gopinath and the institution is a Panchayat Union Middle School at Rajapuram in Gudiyattam

37-year-old Gopinath earned his sobriquet ‘theruvilakku’ as he took classes for poor kids under the streetlight. In the classroom he dresses up as the luminary referred to in the chapters he teaches. “I wear makeup and dress up as Subramanya Bharathi, Avvaiyar, Thiruvalluvar, Bharathiyar or Raja Raja Chozhan when teaching chapters on them. Hence, students get a firsthand experience about the lives of these great personalities,” said Gopinath. His evocative performances delight the school kids and keep them in awe.
The performances also allow the kids to connect with the characters and learn lessons with absolute clarity. With over 14 years of teaching experience, Gopinath took up this approach to teaching four years ago with an aim to bring out a participative and inclusive mindset among his students.

A few years ago in Assam, Gopinath underwent training on puppetry and he also bagged the best student award during the event. Now he performs puppet shows to teach Tirukkural couplets. This teacher had allotted three cents of his land for teaching poor kids after school hours.

According to the middle school headmaster R Valamathi, Gopinath exemplifies his commitment to teaching. Students like such interactive sessions, she added.