Rishab Kumar hailing from UP is a school student of government school in Thondamuthur. He has excelled in not only learning Tamil but also scored top marks in Tamil subject.
Coimbatore: Renowned Poet Subramanya Bharathi famously said that “Tamil is the sweetest language of all; no other language could be put on par with it”. The dictum has become a veritable truth in the case of a young North Indian boy who has a fascination for not only learning but also excelling in the Tamil language.
Rishab Kumar, a school student of Thondamuthur government school, whose mother tongue is Hindi has excelled in not only learning Tamil but also scored top marks in Tamil subject in the SSLC public examination for which results have been out recently.
Rishab Kumar who has his family roots in Uttar Pradesh has impressed everyone by scoring 87/100 marks in Tamil subject and his total marks stood at an impressive 461/500.
Rishab who is born to migrant- labourer parents from Uttar Pradesh had to shift to Tamil Nadu 's Coimbatore when his parents came to the city in search of a livelihood. Rishab Kumar was put in a local school at Thondamuthur and he started his early education in Tamil medium, while his parents worked at a gold smith’s unit to make ends meet. The boy has four sisters and is being brought up in frugal circumstances.
In his initial days, Rishab Kumar struggled with his Tamil lessons but later on, egged on by the teachers he took a special interest in the subject and started excelling in it. His love for Tamil inspired his teachers, who took special interest to teach him not only lessons but also to write essays and understand the intricacies of Tamil grammar.
Surprisingly for a student whose mother tongue is not Tamil, he made quick progress and excelled in writing essays in Tamil in no time, recall his teachers.
The school headmaster who commended his hand writing as the best in the school, says his handwriting and presentation of Tamil in essay writing is a testimony for his passion on the language. Importantly, his fascination on Tamil grammar is a fascination for us, indeed, says his Tamil teacher.
His love for Tamil culminated when he top scored in the subject and won the appreciation of his teachers and fellow students when his SSLC school final results were published.
Speaking to SimpliCity, Rishab Kumar underlined the fact that he has a definite fascination for the Tamil language especially the alliterative variety of Tamil. "Poems written with good rhyming patterns using "Yedhugai Monai” attracted me", said the young boy.
"i like the way Tamil, which is a rich language is spoken and written in texts. I have a great taste for learning Tamil literary texts, added Rishab Kumar who added that he only knows to speak Hindi but doesn't know to write or read.
Rishab Kumar has won many prizes in Tamil essays and oratory contests held at the school and interschool levels, which bear witness to his enduring love for Tamil. The young Tamil prodigy nurses dream of becoming a software engineer after opting for Computer science for his plus two and higher studies.
At a time, when learning and excelling in Tamil is seen as an obstacle in securing a high total, even by Tamils themselves, a North Indian boy, who has won laurels for his love for Tamil has garnered the attention and appreciation of the society, as he has not only won laurels for himself but also brought glory to Tamil, one of the richest languages in the world.
Rishab innocently says that his Tamil speaking class mates see him no different but are good friends. "Presently, am teaching my parents to speak Tamil fluently as its important they communicate well with people. They are of the notion that Tamil is a difficult language to learn. Am putting all my effort to make my parents the richness of Tamil in all its ways", said Rishab.