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| Leelamma Thomas, Wayanad |
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It was the Christian belief that one should look upon the sorrows of others as one’s own that prompted Leelamma to don the vestment of a nun.
She was sent by the Church to Thiruvambadi in Kozhikode and from there to Wayanad to work among adivasis there. It was here that she felt the limitations of organized church and the need for more freedom to pursue her philanthropic mission.
She put away the nun’s uniform and plunged into social work. It was during this time that she met Father Thomas whom she later married.
As a worker under the Bangalore-based organization, 'Fedina', she then renewed her activities in Wayanad. Initially these activities were limited to the Paniya tribe. Later it was expanded to include Oorali, Kuruma, Naikar and other tribes.
Making the adivasis aware of health and hygiene was the 1st step. In order to do that she and her team had to win the trust of the tribals. It was here that she had to face stiff opposition from settlers and their agents.
Undaunted, she and others went ahead with the awareness campaign. If initially they went to the tribal settlements with allopathic medicines, later they used to make use of the traditional healers and doctors among the tribes. This created better acceptability for their other works.
Today, the adivasis demand proper treatment at hospitals, send their children to school and are keen to keep their surroundings clean. And among the people who made this transformation possible is Leelamma Thomas who had chosen this path of thorns in 1987.
Courtesy: Saji James, Malayalam, June 7, 2002
Contributed by: Administrator
