Thiruvananthapuram: Arjun Santhosh, a 14-year-old student from Kerala's Alappuzha, is no different from other fellow students. He leaves home in the morning just like the others, wearing a school uniform and carrying a bag.
What sets him apart is the swimsuit he carries along with his water goggles in his bag while on the way to school. While the others wait for a boat to ferry them, Santhosh chooses to jumps into the Vembanaad waters and swim 3 km to his school in Poothotta.
Reports suggest this is not a one-off phenomena for the little boy. In fact, he does it every day. It’s his form of protest to demand a bridge for his village Perumbalam, an island in Kerala’s Alappuzha district. The demand for the much-needed bridge is not new but authorities have failed to provide them with a much need bridge, says a report by the Daily Mail.
“Usually boats are not on time and I get punished at school for being late. Some boats are very small in size and there are too many people. It is indeed a cause for concern,” says Arjun.
Arjun decided to join his villagers in their protest after their 25-year-long demand for a 700m bridge was not fulfilled.
However, Arjun’s protest since has not nudged authorities to acknowledge the villagers’ concerns. Instead, the authorities have decided to send the boy a notice asking him to withdraw from the protest.
“He is a minor and it is dangerous to swim in this season. If something tragic happens, we would be held responsible for not stopping him. Hence we decided to send him a notice,” said R Girija, collector, Alappuzha.
Arjun has for now agreed to stop his protest. But if his demand for a bridge will not be taken into consideration, he will continue swimming to school - in order to avoid being late, said reports.
