Peravoor: Annamma, who was educated directly from St. Alphonsa, now lives in Edathotti near Peravoor. Annamma, the wife of the late Akkal Mathai, was a pupil of St. Alphonsa in 1928 when she was studying in the third class at the Wakad School near Bharananganam. Annamma told Deepika that St. Alphonsa taught Malayalam and Maths.
Her son Jose says that his mother must be a good mathematician because the saint taught mathematics. The mother would do many calculations that couldn’t be solved by ordinary people. Annamma says she can still hear Alphonsa’s teacher’s voice in her ears. Annamma recalls that St. Alphonsa was a teacher who taught children letters and numbers gently without being angry with them. Jose says that his mother used to sing all the songs taught by St. Alphonsa.
Annamma was born on April 3, 1920, the daughter of the late Kuruvila and Anamma. She was fortunate enough to become a student of St. Alphonsa during her primary education at Wakad School. Jose said his mother often shared her grief over the loss of the Bible, which she described as a “gilded Bible” given by St. Alphonsa. The Bible that was treasured in the early days of her life was lost somewhere during the relocation.
