102-year-old do-gooder wins villagers hearts

MADURAI: At 102 years, Thadahathi aka Nattathi Ammal has created a record of sorts by winning as ward member in Pudukulam panchayat in the district.“There was no better person than Nattathi Ammal to become a ward member”, said P Muthuramalingam, the newly elected president of  Pudukulam panchayat.The villagers also had a number of amusing stories to recollect about the shy Thadahathi. “She is very shy and can easily be scared. The first time she went on bus, she took the front seat. But, when the bus reached a stream, she stopped the bus and ran to a seat at the last, fearing she might be the first person to be killed if an accident happens,” said a villager. But he quickly added that today they are very happy that she, despite being timid, stood up to help them.According to the villagers, the village does not have proper roads, no drinking water facility and no drains. “We do not have toilets at our houses and the public toilets constructed in the previous AIADMK regime are all damaged,” said K M Nirmala, an M.Sc and B.Ed graduate from the village. “None of the previous members really did any good to us but this time around we are confident that Nattathi Ammal will help us,” she added.“With Nattathi Ammal being the member, there will be no caste discrimination or any other issue in our village. There is no one who can speak against the one person who has helped everyone without expecting anything in return. She never charged anyone for anything from the time she was a mid-wife and I am who I am because of her. We respect her like a God,” Tamilarasan added.“I am so fortunate since I have already been helping the people around me and now God has chosen me again to help them but in a different way,” Thadahathi told Express. “I was married when I was a 10-year-old and from then on Pudukulam has been my home village.  I will make sure that the village is clean and I will ensure that there is peace in the village. I want all the children to learn and I want my people to have a healthy and peaceful life. The people have trusted me and I am not going to let them down. I will also make it a point that the people who do not have houses to live in get a roof,” said the shy but unyielding Thadahathi.