M Kamalathal, fondly known as 'Idli Amma', stands in front of her new house.
On Mother's Day, today, industrialist Anand Mahindra fulfilled his promise of providing a house to M Kamalathal of Tamil Nadu, fondly known as ‘Idli Amma'. The octogenarian has been making and selling idlis for Rs 1 for the past 30 years. She is affectionately known as ‘Idli Amma'.
While sharing a video showing ‘Idli Amma' entering her new home, Mr Mahindra tweeted, “Immense gratitude to our team for completing the construction of the house in time to gift it to Idli Amma on Mothers Day. She's the embodiment of a mother's virtues: nurturing, caring and selfless. A privilege to be able to support her and her work. Happy Mother's Day to you all!”
Idli Amma lives in Vadivelampalayam, a village in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district. For over 30 years, she has been selling idlis with sambhar and chutney for just Rs 1. In 2019, her story became viral. Unconcerned about her profits, she extended her services to people in need, particularly daily wage workers and their families.
Mr Mahindra had, then, shared a video of her making idlis and offered to help her. He had tweeted then. “One of those humbling stories that make you wonder if everything you do is even a fraction as impactful as the work of people like Kamalathal. I notice she still uses a wood-burning stove. If anyone knows her I'd be happy to ‘invest' in her business & buy her an LPG fueled stove.”
In April 2021, he tweeted about her again and this time promised that she would have her own house. “Only rarely does one get to play a small part in someone's inspiring story, and I would like to thank Kamalathal, better known as Idli Amma, for letting us play a small part in hers. She will soon have her own house cum workspace from where she will cook and sell idlis,” read Mr Mahindra's tweet.
In another tweet, Mr Mahindra said that for ‘Idli Amma' “her priority was a new home/workspace”, and went on to add that he was “grateful to the registration office at Thondamuthur for helping us achieve our 1st milestone by speedily registering the land”.
In a subsequent tweet, he said that the construction of the house would soon begin.
On Mother's Day, he kept his word. Many users appreciated Mr Mahindra's act.
One user said this would provide some respite to her “while doing the selfless work she does”
Another user appreciated Mr Mahindra's gesture of providing a house with all the amenities that were needed, including “good windows for steam to get out”.
A third user congratulated Mr Mahindra and his team for getting “this done in short span of time”.
One user even offered to contribute whatever he can the next time Mr Mahindra decides to do something similar for someone else in need.
What do you think of Mr Mahindra's deed?