“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” This famous expression essentially means that when a situation becomes difficult, a strong person will work harder to get the job done. And, the perfect example of that is Kattakada resident Sreedevi T, who despite facing several odds, has managed to turn around her life in a positive direction.
Even though the 37-year-old couldn’t fulfill her dream of getting a government job, she has still successfully trained in 74 diverse skills that range from driving tractors to climbing coconut trees. Braving financial disadvantages from a young age, Sreedevi was quoted saying by the New Indian Express,
“My father abandoned the family after my mother became mentally unstable. Although I had completed high school, I discontinued my studies due to financial crisis and stayed home to take care of my mother and sister.”
Sreedevi got married when she was 18 but later discovered that her husband was a drunkard. Realizing that her mother and two children were dependent on her, the talented woman began making and selling mats made of palm leaves. However, as the earning wasn’t enough, she started taking up other jobs as well.
In order to earn a living, she worked in a cashew factory, a textile shop, drove tractors, and autorickshaws and even engaged in fish and poultry farming. Around the same time, Sreedevi learned about ‘Thenginte Changathikoottam’, a group under the Coconut Development Board, which trained women in climbing coconut trees.
Grabbing the opportunity, Sreedevi became the only woman in her area who dared to learn the skill and make a living out of it. She said, “People from Vellayambalam and Peroorkada would approach me to climb their coconut trees.”
It has been four years since Sreedevi started working with Kudumbashree, a community organization of Neighborhood Groups (NHGs) of women in Kerala, and she has been working towards animal welfare as well. She said, “At 3 am, I set out to catch stray dogs along with the men in my team.”
She mentioned how her team has caught 5,000 stray dogs under the Animal Birth Control program. During the lockdown period, she was bestowed with the ‘Best Farmer’ award for her unique farming activities in a six-cent land. From fish farming to rearing 100 quails and 50 different varieties of country chicken, Sreedevi has also learned to rear rabbits and pigs.
Sreedevi has also been trained to catch snakes and has caught almost 30 venomous snakes. She has registered her name at the Kottoor Forest office range and is awaiting her license. She wishes to train more women to catch snakes.
Wow! Kudos to Sreedevi! Her dedication and perseverance in life are inspiring. It takes a lot of hard work to acquire a new skill and she surely is a boss woman.