Mary Roy: Unorthodox and untiring fighter

For the world, Mary Roy is a woman’s right activist, founder of Pallikkoodam, and, above all, the proud mother of Man Book Prize winner Arundhati Roy.

However, a visit to her cottage, designed aesthetically by Laurie Baker, and conversation lasting one and a half hours with her, made me realise that she is much more than what the world deemed her to be and that she is a woman who command respect for her poise and joviality.

Though in her early 80s, Mary Roy exudes the exuberance and vitality of a much younger person. Clad in a black T-shirt and black pyjama with a big red bindi on her forehead, she spoke on her brainchild, Pallikkoodam, and the present education system and the current social scenario.

In conversation with Mary Roy...

On her Pallikkoodam

The school is 45 years old, and when I look back at Pallikkoodam, the journey was a lovely one, because the school itself is a very lovely place to be in.

What prompted me to start a school was this: My kids Lalit and Arundhati were studying in Lushington School, Ooty, in the third-grade and nursery, respectively. At the school, they didn’t have homework or textbooks. It seemed very strange to me after watching the Indian education system throughout. The children did not take any books to the school or came back with any books. They might come back with some pictures.

Though this disturbed me initially, I understood that they were learning a lot in the school, and, on my request, I got permission to sit in their class. There I found that the children were not compelled to do anything. They were allowed to do what they were interested in, and, along with that, they learned big things. The students were excused from a subject class, but they were not allowed to bunk their games session, and this idea roused me.

I shifted to Kottayam and started Corpus Christy School (now called Pallikkoodam) in a hall with seven students. When the number of students increased, the school was shifted to the current location at Vadavathoor, near Kottayam.

On current education scenario

In the global education scenario, India occupies a great position. It is not because the education system is good; it is only because the Indian child is a clever child, but the saddest part is that he is being taught very badly. He is being taught to develop skills to memorise, not to do things. The Indian education system fails firstly because of this reason and secondly because the children are given few options.

Right from the school days, the kids are given few options – either engineers or doctors. They are being horribly limited.

You may have good colleges, but the universities, right from North to South, are rigid. See the recent case. Ivy League universities like Delhi University and colleges like St Stephen’s, LSR, etc., have a cut-off mark of 99%. What are the students with marks less than that supposed to do? Our system is creating roadblocks for our children.

The education sector in India has now turned out to be a great business. This is not a good practice.

On Western education and Indians

The problem that we Indians have is that we have more adaptability to step-mom concepts. I am talking about the English language. You must not feel unhappy that you don’t know English; first learn your mother tongue. That is where the Western countries score; they are very much rooted in their culture and integrity. When it comes to education, the Western system is too good. Education there is entrenched in freedom, and they have many options. What I say is, don’t follow something blindly. See what is good and adapt that into our system and life.

On politics

Politicians are the most foolish people I have seen in my life. They say things without thinking twice. They will say that they will give you rice for one rupee, but how are they are going to do that? They themselves won’t be having the least idea about that.

More educated people should come into politics and they should be prepared to do considerably for the development of the country and the people. The academic qualification of at least undergraduate should be set as a minimum qualification for those people who enter in politics.

On current social scenario

The signs of an uncivilised culture are evident in our society today. According to me, frustration is the reason for this. Discrimination and inequality lead to frustration. Rich-poor, girl- boy – human beings are classified into a number of categories. I strongly believe that education is the only solution to all the problems that our country is facing today.

On present state of women

The condition of women has changed a lot. If you ask me to elaborate on it, I can’t do that because I can’t elaborate on something that I can feel. We can see the condition of women – on the roads, on buses, on trains, everywhere. That itself proves everything.

Message to youth

Work for the country; work for the aam aadmi. 

As an end note I asked her about her fond memories of her celebrated writer and activist daughter Arundhati Roy. After a few seconds of deep silence, Mary Roy replied: “I love her too much, my dear.”


Click: Jose Jacob


Article first appeared in the 2013 September issue of  Education Insider magazine