Every Sunday, college students from throughout the nation, additionally a few them from Nigeria, eagerly await a WhatsApp alert. Like clockwork, the message pings at 11am, and a digital classroom transports them to the backwaters of Kerala as E C Sabu, an award-winning teacher introduces them to Malayalam phrases like vallamkali, vanchipaatu, and kaayal. As the third batch of Amrutham Malayalam, a seven-month on-line Malayalam course supplied by the World Malayalee Council, Coimbatore Province begins, Sabu says, “Our students are a mixed group of professors, doctors, retirees, school children, and teachers who speak Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Urdu or any language. It’s a big thrill for them to read name boards in Malayalam while travelling in Kerala.”
An award-winning teacher, Sabu served as vice-principal, later as principal of CMS Higher Secondary School earlier than retiring from energetic teaching this May. “I wanted to be a journalist but ended up becoming a Malayalam PG Assistant in 1990 at CMS School. My first batch of class XII students are over 52 years old now,” he says as he displays upon his 35-year journey in teaching.
Around the identical time, he additionally turned part of Coimbatore Malayalee Samajam’s seven-month certificates course that opened its doorways to studying Malayalam for non-native speakers. “The course is on its way to set a record as the longest running course in any regional language. Kerala’s State Resource Centre (under the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India) was our sponsor for three decades. Now, with World Malayalee Council’s online course for the last three years, the reach has been immense.”
A file photograph of Coimbatore District Collector Dr G S Sameeran handing over Panditha Sresta Award to E C Sabu for his service within the training sector in 2021
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Special Arrangement
In the Nineteen Nineties, Tamil speakers enrolled in giant numbers, particularly college students of MA Tamil in Bharathiar University, he recollects. Poet Sirpi Balasubramaniam who headed the Tamil division made it obligatory for college students to clear a paper in Malayalam. “Once, 14 Tamil PhD students from the University joined the course and scored cent percent marks in Malayalam exams at the end of the course. They are all now HoDs of Tamil in various colleges, like Dr Uma Maheswari at Government College in Chittoor, Kerala and others at Government College, Ooty and Maharaja College, Erode,” he reminisces, including that the course is a melting pot of cultures giving rise to new friendships.
Sabu’s teaching methodology begins with simple letters earlier than transferring on to types, sentences, grammar, translation, and spoken language. Every yr, a variety of non-native speakers attend to perceive Kerala’s artwork and tradition, its panorama, individuals and literature. Over the final three a long time, the certificates course developed as a literary motion. One of the scholars translated celebrated Malayalam author Vaikom Mohammed Basheer’s works in Tamil. Another PhD scholar who joined the course whereas doing her research on comparative literature on the works of Tamil author Nanjil Nadan and Malayalam author CV Balakrishnan turned creator with a translation of Malayalam brief tales.
Sabu who has obtained a variety of awards — Ezhuthani Award, Panditha Sresta Award and Krishna Mangad Cherukatha Award (for his brief story) — cant’s cease speaking about his college students.
“The hard work and dedication of my students keeps me going. In the current batch, we have Dorothy, a Bengali who has beautifully picked up the nuances and speaks impeccable Malayalam now. Cardiologist Dr Matheswaran has started conversing with his patients from Kerala. Some join the course because their neighbours are from Kerala or if they are employed in firms run by Malayalees. Then, there are polyglots who join for the sheer love of languages. One of the students Dr Viswaroop is a native Telugu speaker, but also knows Kannada, Tamil and now Malayalam.”
Award-winning Malayalam teacher E C Sabu says his household assist helped him obtain his teaching feat
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Siva Saravanan S
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While teaching, his social outings come to a standstill. “I have to thank my wife, K Chitra, a retired Hindi professor, my daughter S Lakshmipriya, my son-in-law J Murali Krishnan, my grand daughter Parvathi Krishna for being supportive. I feel charged when I am with my students. They understand what keeps me motivated,” he says including that his excessive education at NSS High School at Pala in Kerala drew him nearer to the language. “Especially my Malayalam teachers like Raghavan Nair and Velu Pillai who introduced me to the nuances. It was a turning point in my journey. Later in college, the first batch of Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, our vice-chancellor was U R Ananthamurthy, Gnanapith award winner.”
Teaching Malayalam to a blended group has change into part of his life, says Sabu. “Learning a new language is not just about letters. It’s an introduction to culture, geography, lifestyle. We highlight all these in the classes to make it engaging and alive. Based on my experience, I know the challenges faced by students in learning a new language, so my methodology takes into account these aspects. While joining the course, the question on everyone’s mind is ‘Is it possible to master a language in seven months?’ But once I see the progress, I feel overjoyed.”
As for his future plans, he needs to transfer again to his hometown Pala in Kerala and begin farming. “I have built a house there and we have already planted jackfruit, mango, and pepper. But, the online classes will continue without any break,” he says, including, “There is no full stop to learning.”
To know extra on the upcoming batches of on-line Malayalam lessons, name 9486477891/ 6380701846
