PM Modi expresses grief on demise of 107-yr-old Bhageerathi Amma, Kerala's Oldest learner

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage on Friday and expressed his condolences on the demise of Kerala's 'Oldest learner', Bhageerathi Amma. PM Modi said that there is so much to learn from the life journey of Bhageerathi Amma. Amma, who passed the Class IV literacy examination at the age of 105 two years ago, has passed away. On March 8, 2020, She was bestowed with the Nari Shakti Puraskar on the occasion of International Women's Day. However, she had to quit her education to take care of her siblings. Under Kerala State Literacy Mission, she remained the oldest literacy learner in March 2020. PM Modi took to his Twitter handle and tweeted,

Apart from PM Modi, Amma also won the praises of other leaders in India. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Congress MP Thiruvananthapuram, and Shashi Tharoor also expressed their condolences to Amma on her demise. They took to their official Twitter handles and paid tributes.

More about Bhageerathi Amma

Amma was 107 years old and due to age-related ailments, she breathed her last on Thursday night at her residence. Hailing from Prakkulam in Kollam district, the centenarian was a recipient of the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar by the Central government for her exceptional contribution towards women's empowerment. She had also scripted history by becoming the oldest student by clearing the fourth standard equivalency examination conducted by the state-run Kerala State Literacy Mission (KSLM) in 2019.

The woman had appeared for the examination, conducted by the state literacy mission at Kollam, and came out with flying colours i.e., 205 out of a total of 275 marks and full marks in Mathematics. KSLM sources here said that due to her advanced age, Bhageerathi Amma had difficulty writing the exams and took three days to complete the three question papers on Environment, Mathematics, and Malayalam. The woman, who had always yearned to study and gain knowledge, had to give up her dream of educating herself after her mother died as she had to take care of her younger siblings. Bhageerathi Amma had quit formal education in class three at the age of 9.

(With ANI/PTI inputs)

(IMAGE: ANI)