Day 03 : Engaging Conversations, Community Concerns, and Classroom

It was puttu and pappadam for today's breakfast, a combination which I am not so familiar with but I enjoyed the food. I looked into the pages of Al Imdad Magazine, reading captivating anecdotes about Perumathura's history and notable figures, before getting ready for the Jumua prayers at Maithaanappalli. The Jumua prayer was not just a religious observance but an opportunity to connect with the community. After the prayer, my wish to meet the Imam led to an unexpected and insightful conversation with Maithanappalli Imam and Secretary Noufal Basheer. What started as a casual introduction evolved into an in-depth, unstructured interview, primarily with the Secretary.

Noufal Basheer lamented about the past glory of coir production in Perumathura and expressed his distress at the some of the village's youth being addicted to MDMA and other synthetic drugs, with some even becoming carriers and dealers. Despite efforts by Akhila Perumathura Jamath, such as the promotion of physical sports, there has been no remarkable change in it. The discussion expanded to the role of the gym, complaints about Panchayat structures neglecting the drug menace, education, and communal politics. The Secretary also shared regarding the divisions in the village on the A and B group lines often leading to clashes . The Imam was impressed by my observations of flambouyant lungisworn by the fisherman.

In the morning itself, I was informed about my first Educare class. I proceeded to Govt. LP School after a brief preparation. The first class with 6th-grade students garnered an impressive response and covered a substantial portion of the material. However, the 7th-grade class posed some challenges, with some students displaying distractions and a peculiar Hindi obsession, making it difficult to cover all the planned content. The day concluded with a return to Imdadiya, where the anticipated biryani, though not up to the expected standard, provided a satisfying end to a day filled with engaging conversations, community concerns, and interactive classes.