Not too old to be a panchayat member at 102

MADURAI: She is fragile and 102 years old but that has not stopped Thadahathi from contesting and winning the panchayat election in Pudukulam village in Madurai district. From children to elderly, the saree-clad Thadahathi is the favourite of everyone due to her liveliness and helping nature. Enter the village and ask the first person you see about the old woman who won the elections, they will take you to her house. Notwithstanding her age, Nattathi Ammal (as Thadahathi is fondly called by the villagers) is active and she is one of the beneficiaries of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).Having worked in the fields from a very young age, Thadahathi could still not keep away from the fields. “She always loved working and she still goes and pulls out weeds at the fields,” said a villager.A name to reckon with among the villagers, Thadahathi was a mid-wife till a few years ago and has nursed at-least 1,000 women during childbirth. “She has helped all of us in someway and we thought it was time we paid her back and we know she will work to put an end to our woes,” said the villagers.“There was a time when there was absolutely no transport facility at the village and it was Nattathi Ammal who took care of women during maternity,” M Tamilarasan (33), whose mother was nursed by Thadathi during childbirth, said.During the elections, Thadahathi with her four children visited each of the houses and sought votes. “She was mischievous during the campaigns. She came to my door and told me with a naughty smile that she would thrash me if I did not vote for her,” said a villager.Thadahathi has defeated Vellaichamy (30) and Manimaran (35) in the race by securing 72 of the total 138 votes polled.