Memorable Mecheri…

My real education began on the roads,
Not in a classroom, but in lived episodes.

Mecheri, M.Kalipatti, Viruthasampatti,
Pottaneri, Kuttapatty, Thanikkuttapatty…
Two years back, just names on a map
Now, pieces of my heart.

I’ve lived 22 years in my own village,
But never walked its every turn.
Yet in the past 2 years,

I walked like a wanderer with purpose unknown.
Waited an hour on a no-name street for a bus that may never come,
Cycled 5+ km every week,
Hopped into autos with a smile and a hope to make it on time.

The strangers’ lift that warmed my soul,
A Principal’s ride – the ultimate trust.

Salem showed me mountains I had never seen before,
And every sunrise came with the laughter of school kids shouting,
“Akkaaa!!”
That smile?! Made my day. Every single time….

Barely made new friends after college…
Now I have 1000+ souls in my circle
Annas, Akkas, and my sweet sweet children.

I’d roam the weekly market’s vibrant thread,
a rookie cook at first, then trying different cuisines.
Cooking changed.
What began as a challenge
became a kind of therapy.

Weekly blessings from Bhadhrakali Amman,
Heartbreaks taken to Pasupatheeshwarar,
My questions whispered in Murugaa’s space,
Finding my footing in this sacred place.

So what is my heaven?
It is the place where I feel confident.
The place where I feel happy, satisfied.
The one place that made me think, and realize.
A place that could silence me, inviting me to just observe
where even this talkative girl falls quiet.

My heaven is the Mecheri Library.

Never imagined doing life solo…
But I did.
Managed it all.
Laughed, cried, fell, stood up.

This fellowship didn’t just offer financial independence.
It gave me mental independence.
A new version of me emerged…

One that believes:
I can survive anything. Anywhere.
From unknown villages to unforgettable bonds..

This place, these roads, this journey in my soul,
From unknown villages to a feeling, whole.
I will miss you, Mecheri, miss you dearly so.
And to this space that watched me start and grow,
A final whisper, soft and low:

மறப்பேனா உன்னை? 💛
(Will I ever forget you?)