In Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district, villagers belonging to a small tribal hamlet of Malluguda, gave Goudu Narendra, a teacher of a local school, a grand farewell on his last day.
The residents washed his legs with turmeric water and carried him on their shoulders, while the rest of the locals danced to the beat of drums.
Speaking to TNM, he expressed, “I never expected the farewell to be this grand. I am extremely happy, they treated me like family. The entire village made it feel like it was the village festival. They not only danced and sang but also cooked food and served the entire village. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift from them.”
Narendra had been working as the headmaster of a Malluguda Mandal Parishad Primary School for the last 10 years. When the school building collapsed in 2016, he conducted classes for 20 children on verandahs of homes in the neighbourhood and under trees. Narender would not only teach lessons to the students, he would also take general knowledge classes, prepare them for important exams, conduct co-curricular activities and double up as a counsellor for families in hard times, The News Minute reported.
In a village of 42 families, he had soon become one of their own.
Gummalaxmipuram Mandal Education Officer J Narayanaswamy spoke about the villagers’ love for the teacher saying, “It's heartening how the village bid him farewell. Clearly, he became more than a teacher to them. He will surely be missed by the village,” The News Minute quoted.
According to Narender, the residents spent around Rs 30,000 on the grand farewell. They cooked, danced, sang, and gifted him a Godrej almirah, silver, a ceiling fan and clothes to his entire family.
(With inputs by The News Minute and The New Indian Express.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)