A. Nalayini, a student of class 6 from Panchayat Union Middle School, was ecstatic when her ability to recite Thirukkural verses earned her a house from the district administration.
A resident of Su. Nallur in Tiruvannamalai block, Nalayini now 11 years, can recite 1,330 verses from the Thirukkural in any order from the early days of her schooling.
The entire district is familiar with her talent, which has also brought laurels to her school.
According to Su. Nallur residents, Nalayini’s family lived in abject poverty.
Her parents Annadurai and Sudha have five other children.
Despite all the odds, Nalayini regularly practised reciting at least 10 verses per day with the help of her class teacher. She surprised her teachers reciting the verses with ease and clarity when she reached Class IV.
Nalayini who has also learnt to render the song version of ‘ Sivapuranam’ , met the District Collector, K.S. Kandasamy, when she visited the Collectorate last Tuesday and invited him to her home.
Mr. Kandasamy promptly visited her home on Thursday and spent time with the family members.
On seeing their plight, he ordered building a house for the family under the Chief Minister Green House Scheme.
The Collector also presented Nalayini with a gold chain weighing eight grams and a LED TV for the family.
The house would be a suitable gift for a little girl with such innate talent, Mr. Kandasamy commented.
