She is silently educating the illiterates in her village

Hear is a woman hailing from a village, striving hard to educate the illiterates residing there, and also to make them aware about the various aspects of environment.
KP Arunakumari is the lone woman who has been rendering this relentless service in Mandya District.

Hailing from Kargodu village, Mandya, she has undertaken several developmental works and has been relentlessly educating people belonging to backward communities, including SC/STs, residing at Hulivan, H Kodanahalli Farm and Bidarkatte villages.

Being Elected President of Kargodu Grama Sneha Yuvathi Sangha, she has conducted several awareness programmes on literacy, youth welfare, protecting environment and healthy living.

Surveying 32 villages falling under five Gram Panchayats, she identified around 2000 illiterate people, and brought them together and made them to read and write, all within a span of six months, under Government of India National Mission Committee 2008.

On the occasion of World Cultural Day, she organises various cultural programmes and competitions in the village. Under 'Akshara Krushi' programme she has imparted education for hundreds of SC/ST women while at the same time teaching them about maintaining health, self employment, planting saplings, awareness programme on Malaria, HIV/AIDS, leprosy and various other issues.

While creating awareness among villagers about the importance of environment and its protection, she also teaches them how to conserve flora and fauna found around. Her training also includes rain water harvesting. She also conducts workshops and seminars on these issues.

For her all-round service for the backward people involving cultural, sports and development activities, she has been bestowed with several awards. She was awarded, 'Swami Vivekananda State Youth Award' for the year 2008-09, which was presented to her on February 3 at Chitradurga by former Minister Goolihatti D Shekar. She is a recipient of Sakshar Bharath Award twice while the Mandya District Lok Shikshana Samithi has honoured her with 'Sakshratha Award'.

She has completed her BSC, BEd, COPA. Her Husband M Yogesh, a youth organizer is also a recipient of State Youth Award. Both husband and wife couple are involved in social service, are are striving to educate the illiterates amongst them.