Ajitha Vijayan, the newly elected mayor of Thrissur Corporation has become a model for all by highlighting the dignity of labour. Even after chairing the prestigious post of a Mayor, Ajitha can be seen arriving on her Activa scooter with packets of milk.
Even after being elected as the Mayor, Ajitha has decided to continue her 18-year-old job of supplying milk to over 200 houses in Kanimangalam division of the corporation.
Vijayan believes that continuing with her old work will help her do her new job even better. She told TNM that she would be able to meet and interact with people directly if she continues travelling to different houses to deliver milk. She added that no one would be able to say that she was not seen after the elections.
A member of the CPI(M) since 1999, she became a councillor in 2005 and a CPI(M) standing committee chairman in 2010. For the last five years, she says, she has also been an Anganwadi teacher, which disqualified her from standing for local elections (due to a clause that bars anyone who already receives a salary from the government from standing for elections). Now that that ban has been lifted for Anganwadi teachers, she is eligible to hold the post.
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Ajitha’s husband, Vijayan, is also a CPI(M) leader and has been running a Milma booth for the last 22 years. She has been helping him with milk delivery for the last 18 years. Ajitha also has a daughter, who got married last month.
The new Mayor believes in the need to work hard to live. She knows how to manage both her jobs. She wakes up at around 4:30 AM and starts to supply milk at about 5 AM. Later, she performs her duties as a Mayor and joins her office sharp at 10 AM, unless there is a special function.
