India: at 104, she learned to read and write, her childhood dream
Kuttiyamma, 104, after her illiteracy test in the Indian state of Kerala, for which she scored 89%, on December 9, 2021. © Twitter / @ KAShaji123
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
There is no age to start learning.
This was proven by a 104-year-old Indian woman, who has just learned to read and write.
She has just passed her literacy test.
A dream that she had had since her youngest childhood.
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With our correspondent in New Delhi,
Sébastien Farcis
Kuttiyamma has long white hair and a hunched back when she walks.
But at 104, she reads her notebooks with childish greed.
A few weeks ago, this low caste woman from the state of Kerala, in the south of India, obtained her government literacy diploma, after more than a year of learning, as she tells the BBC .
“
I always wanted to learn, but I was married at 16 by my parents and after that I was taken up with household chores.
Lately, when my grandchildren were studying, I would sit with them and observe them.
A teacher saw my interest and therefore offered to study as well.
"
She devours the local newspaper
Today her routine has changed.
Every morning, Kuttiyamma devours the local newspaper for two hours, written in the Malayalam language which she can now read.
It is therefore a dream come true for this woman who has always wanted to discover the world.
Kuttiyamma now aims to pass the exam for the 4th year of primary school.
To do this, she will have to study mathematics and English.
It doesn't scare her, because nothing is impossible anymore, she says with a broad toothless smile.
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See also: India: against dropping out of school linked to Covid, free street lessons in New Delhi
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