‘He wanted to clear IAS, help poor kids study without hardship’

“From his school days, he wanted to become an IAS officer and help children from socially and economically backward families to study without any hardship, unlike us,” his sister J Kalaivani (32) said.

This was his last year in college and the Dalit youth was confident of completing his Ph.D. in three months. The photograph of the smiling youth in the obituary banners was what he sent his sister through WhatsApp last week. “We all believed that he was happy as he gave us no clue he was facing problems,” Kalaivani said.  

His mother Alamelu (48), a daily wage labourer, told DT Next that the last time he came home was in May last year after the examinations. “He was here only for a few days. He returned as he wanted to prepare for his studies. He used to call me two or three times a week. The last call was around 7 pm on Saturday,” she said. “It was a short call. He said he has got exams early this week and that he would come home on March 16. His voice was clear and there was no  indication that he was stressed or was facing any problem. I was elated that my only son is going to be home after a year. But did not know he would come in a shroud,” she sobbed. 

Muthukrishnan’s family says that he never shared his grievances with anyone. And only after his death they came to know that he not only faced problems in the institutions but also faced lot of financial difficulty to study at JNU – where he enrolled for Ph.D. in 2012. Muthukrishnan’s family of six live in a small tiled roof hut in a lane near Chatharam in the city, in which only one person can enter on foot at a time. His parents Jeevanandham (52) and Alamelu are illiterate. His father is a security guard in a private hospital while his mother is a daily wage labourer in a market where she cleans and segregates turmeric. However, the couple ensured all their four children completed graduation.