Bridge to help village

HAVING LIVED IN ETHIOPIA AND WORKED AS A PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PROFESSOR AT WOLLEGA UNIVERSITY SINCE 2009, KANNAN BECAME A SAVIOUR FOR RURAL ETHIOPIA

- PRAVEENA S A @Chennai

PEACEFUL mountains and lush fields greeted a group of students who walked through the earthy paths of the Oromia region in Ethiopia. The students on their field trip got busy exploring the rustic village tucked away in the narrow but panoramic gorges. This was before the stroll paused and concerned eyebrows shot up. The group saw an elderly woman struggling to cross a gushing stream. Some students busied their brains for solutions, some pointed fingers at the government for the lack of a bridge, while others gave up deciding there was no way around it. However, one person decided he would not walk away without providing a permanent solution.

This was their professor, Kannan Ambalam from Ponthugampatti in Madurai. Determined to solve the problem, building bridges became his language of service to this village and many more. In a world where the daily troubles of rural towns fade into the background as bureaucrats advocate to accelerate the urban boom, Kannan decided that his endeavours should be targeted at those at a disadvantage.