Life
K Sakubai, a prominent teacher in Mattancherry, struggles to live as destiny took a u-turn. Even after being hit by riots, technology and diseases, she emerged a winner. Her fight continues with destiny, as Sakubai refuses to give in.
WITH ANXIOUS eyes and lean body, she is waiting for customers in her small shop. It’s K Sakubai, a prominent teacher in Mattancherry, who is in dire straits as destiny had taken a u-turn. She started the shop (on the way to Cherlai Road- T D High School) 40 years ago on a small scale. Later, in the 1980s she started typewriting and short hand courses. “Six machines were there and one hour was allotted for each student. From morning 7 am to till 9 pm all the machines were fully occupied”,Sakubai recollected.
In the ‘80s this typewriting institute was one of the crowded learning centres in Mattancherry in addition to the one run by S.Purushothama Mallya and his brother S Narayana Mallya.
Those were the heydays of the institute as students will come before their scheduled time to learn. All classes were jam-packed” , she said.
Beginning of the bad times
The arrival of computer in 1996 drastically changed the course of her life. Till then, she was earning a good income from the institute and stationery items. “Most of the students joined computer courses as there was high demand for that. It badly affected me as the institute constituted 70 per cent of the monthly income”, Sakubai revealed.
When asked whether she had any dislike to computer, she said she loves to learn computer though she is 55. Sakubai confessed, “At that time, I was willing to buy computer but the financial and family situations made me helpless. I still have the passion to learn computer as it is a user-friendly system.”
Testing time
As her life was in paradox, destiny conquered her once again her in the form of cataract. “I found some difficulty to find things and read the newspaper, but did not take it seriously. After that I went for a free medical eye camp conducted at TD High School and realised that I have cataract”, she added. Owing to lack of money, Sakubai postponed the operation, but when it became worse in 2004, she underwent an operation with the help of her sister and her family. Only the vision of right eye was rectified and for left eye she needs another 1.5 lakh, which she cannot afford now!
Communal violence in 1992
Sakubai recollected, “ The day before that ‘Black Day’ there was no panic till 7pm. After that I heard a sound, but couldn’t trace it, as there was heavy crowd. I closed the shop at 11pm and went to the nearby house for sleeping. But in the morning the situation changed. Mob with arms walked through the streets. The police marched around and curfew was imposed. Oh, those fearsome five days (she gasps).” She adds that one day she had prepared food for some 60 policemen, who were satisfied.
Disciples
Her disciples have found good jobs after completing the course at her institute. As her age advances, her memory fails. She remembers some of her students. “I recall that Rajkumar is working as stenographer in Secretariat, Thiruvananathapuram and Venugopal is in the Parliament.”
Flays hartals
Even now, she opens her shop with the courage to confront the hartal sponsors. “It’s high time to end this ‘evil holiday’ by politicians. People should neglect these kinds of gimmicks. Daily, the cost of living is going up. If we are still making brouhaha for hartals, we cannot survive in this competitive, harsh world,” she said.
A customer asks for a cigarette. Sakubai opens a packet and gives it with a sigh of relief. She earns three more rupees for her daily bread.
Destiny and age has bend Sakubai a little, her frail figure stoops...but people like her cannot be broken. A face in the crowd, it’s people like her that make our nation strong and resolute!
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