Pudukai Collector ‘bows’ to students’ flood of holiday pleas

TIRUCHY: In an interesting episode of the shrinking distance between bureaucrats and commoners, several ‘rain-hit’ school-college students appealed to the Pudukkottai Collector to declare a holiday through her Instagram page, with some even promising to build a temple dedicated to her. After the Collector shared the same on social media it went viral.

Collector Kavitha Ramu, who is active on social media, was surprised on Sunday to see several private messages pouring in from students across the district appealing to her to declare a holiday on Monday. The school students were on a quarterly holiday for a week and tried for an extended holiday citing the widespread rains.

One of the students went on to address her as an ‘angel’ and appealed to her to declare a holiday that would bring happiness to many of the students. “Leave mattum Vidunga ma’m. Ungalukku Kovil Katturen en manasula’ (Declare leave and I will build a temple in my heart), says one student.

‘Romba stress full ah irukku ma’am. Leave vidunga ma’m’ (I am in stress, please declare holiday), says another student.

“I am struck in my village as there is heavy rain. I can not reach the hostel. So please declare holiday on Monday”, says an engineering student. And another one says, ‘Chellam… Nalaikku leave’.

Though not amused by these interesting requests by the student community, the Collector had to fulfil their wishes as it eventually poured on Monday. She also shared those appeals on social media stating they were ‘some message requests on insta’.

Meanwhile, one of the replies on her Facebook page sought the Collector to ‘teach a fitting lesson’ to the student who addressed her as ‘chellam’.