Achuthan Kutty NV aka Warrier Mash - The Unstoppable Man

Humans walk with legs, but I truly believe this man walks with a heart - a well-determined heart.

Achuthan Kutty was six years old when polio tried its luck to beat him down. Little did it know it chose the wrong person. He’s now 79, accomplished everything he set out to do and more, and lives on his own terms, hardly dependent on anyone.

Has anything been born yet that can stop him? No.

Will that happen? Highly unlikely.

You’ll soon know why.

Childhood: The Foundation Of Everything He Has Become Today

It’s true that at the age of six, he had to encounter something unfamiliar like polio. Keeping that aside, he was like any normal six-year-old boy and wanted to do everything a kid at that age would do. One person who was slightly hesitant about letting him do them was his mother. Like any mother, she worried about his son - What will happen if such a kid steps out into the world? Wouldn’t it be better to keep him close, keep him safe?

He definitely needed someone who was not ready to give up on him quite yet. Someone promising to be his shadow when he walked. Luckily for him, he did not have to go elsewhere to find this person. He found him in his family - his elder brother, popularly known as Animan. From teaching him everything he knew to taking him everywhere he wanted to go, Animan did everything for little Achuthan Kutty. With a firm rock like him as constant support, Achuthan Kutty went on to achieve everything he dreamt of.

School Days: When Achuthan Kutty Topped Every Class!

After a few years of being taught by Animan, Achuthan Kutty joined the fifth standard batch at his school. Since it was all new to him, it took some time for him to figure out the ideal way to study and pass exams. For the longest time, he relied heavily on his brilliant memory and wrote every single word in the textbook related to that question. No wonder he topped his classes every year! In class 7th, he got a gold medal for being a Maths topper as well as an overall topper. Later, he remembers, his mom, with his consent, sold it to buy a gift for someone’s wedding.

He knew the textbooks so well that teachers asked him to check whether other students were narrating the right answers. Funnily enough (not so much for the other students though), he turned out to be much stricter than those teachers because he didn’t let go of even a single mistake.

He admits though, back then he just didn’t know when to stop. Now he uses this example to explain to his students how not to study and instead learn from his silly mistakes.

College Days: When The World Met The Persistent Achuthan Kutty

With excellent marks in his kitty, he was naturally an eligible candidate for the best colleges in town. He went to St. Thomas college with Animan and that’s when his weak leg tried to be a barrier once more.

The college principal acknowledged his good marks but mentioned it would be difficult for him to attend lectures as they were usually conducted upstairs. Not the one to take no for an answer, Achuthan Kutty claimed he could climb the stairs with ease and hence was asked to come the next day.

That morning, with Animan, the college principal, and a lecturer as the audience, he climbed the stairs with a speed no one else could match. He added extra vigour to his walk to show them that he is not incapable.

That worked. Because as soon as he climbed down the stairs, he instantly got a spot in one of the best colleges in Thrissur.

Career: His First Steps Towards Becoming Warrier Mash

He went on to become one of the 4-5 people in Puthukad who had a degree in Mathematics. He was the only person in his college who had applied for a complete maths degree and had earned a great deal of appreciation for it from the college principal. He says, he partially did it because he thought he won’t be able to stand for long hours in the physical and chemistry labs. In retrospect, it was a blessing in disguise as he is a reputed teacher, specifically for his knowledge of maths.

After teaching three 8th-grade students at home, he was convinced that this was the profession he was well-suited for. So he started his journey as a professional teacher by opening his own teaching institute at Paruppukkara in Thrissur district for students who failed their tenth board exams in the first attempt. He also used to teach maths at Puthukad, Chengallur, and Mattathur. That inevitably meant constant travel once again. But that didn’t bother him even on the rainiest days.

Once, when Kerala was flooded and his students were just about to thank the floods in anticipation of a holiday, he reached the location in a lorry! That’s a grand entry, one cannot deny it. Achumanoda kali (trying to win against Achuman, eh?)! And of course, he did not leave them before the scheduled time of the lecture.

If sincerity had to be photographed, it would be him teaching his students. He made himself so accountable for the success of the students who came there that when the teacher he had appointed for Hindi left, he took it upon himself to teach them Hindi too!

There were also days when students weren’t always too kind to him. Once while he was on his way to his Paruppukkara institute, a group of students who had never seen him before, teased him and shouted ‘De ottakalan pone!’ (look, there goes the one-legged man!). It would have been easy to feel sorry for himself, but he was not the one to be deterred.

He reached the classroom gracefully, sat on the chair, kept his walking stick next to it, and looked at the students - the students who won’t stop teasing, screaming, making noises, and being chaotic. A few minutes later, they realised they couldn’t compete with this teacher who was sitting still and silent, simply staring at them and waiting for them to be quiet. Once they found it was useless to continue, they started to reduce the noise. After achieving the typical pin drop silence, he spoke - “I’ll be teaching you from now. Before I begin that, you can ask me anything about my situation and I will explain, only if you do it politely.” Towards the end, the same students who called him ‘Ottakalan’ in the beginning, bid farewell by calling him Sir. And that’s how effortlessly he handles students, especially the mischievous lot. Repeat - Achumanoda kali!

While he had already accepted this to be his profession and was happy about it, life had different plans for him. People said it would be easier for him to get a government job because of the handicapped quota, but more often than not, the opposite happened.

Income Tax Employee: 36 Years Of His Life Filled With Ups & Downs

It was his younger sister’s husband who first introduced him to a job opportunity in defence accounts for a clerical post in Bangalore. Achuthan Kutty cleared the test but was deemed unfit as per field service liability rules. That was his first blow in the professional world due to his medical condition. Disappointed, he came back home, with a reaffirmed faith in his decision about choosing teaching as his livelihood.

As he continued teaching, in 1969, he was offered yet another job opportunity in the Income Tax department. This time, the assessment test was at Ernakulam. He couldn’t carry anything else with him apart from his walking stick and a pen while other candidates who were highly qualified government officers sat there preparing for the test with multiple books in their hands.

Once the English exam was done, it was time for Mathematics. Do you know how much time it took for him to finish the test? Just 45 minutes for 9 questions. Even he couldn’t believe it! He said all the questions were 8th-grade questions and since he was already teaching those grade students, the test turned out to be pretty easy for him. Still, he thought something was fishy and this is not probably what was expected.

But that’s exactly what they wanted. He ranked third and got his appointment order in June for a position in Kozhikode. Again, a ray of hope was just about to be birthed when he was asked to submit a fitness certificate. The first doctor refused to do it as he wasn’t supposed to issue certificates for handicapped people. Then he was directed to a veterinarian (yes, you read that right). Finally, he was asked to get it from the Kerala state medical board. The irony was, such a board did not exist at that moment. Disappointed for the second time, he came back home, with a stronger belief in his decision to pursue only teaching.

Although this time he did not let it go easily. He wrote to the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. His only reason to do it was - why not? The worst that can happen is he won’t get a response. So he wrote a letter in September and received a standard acknowledgment response back and that was the end of that chapter. Or so he thought.

In December of the same year, his relative ‘Shankuman’ who was one of the upper primary teachers of Panampilly Govinda Menon, the then Union Minister of Law, told Achuthan Kutty that they’ll meet him once and show the letter written to Indira Gandhi. Achuthan Kutty went with little to zero expectations, but thought to himself there’s no harm in trying. His visit to Ramanilayam Government Guest House, Thrissur, where the minister stayed, changed everything for him. With due respect for his former teacher, the minister not only met them but also ensured that he would personally enquire about the situation with the central government in Delhi.

He stood true to his word and in March 1970, Achuthan Kutty got his appointment order for the same position in Kozhikode without any medical certificate. He joined on March 31st and served the department for a wholesome 36 years! And yes, after almost 3 years of passing the test, he finally got the fitness certificate that once stopped him from getting this position. Although this journey wasn’t a bed of roses for him, he met the challenges fiercely. Initially, he struggled with basic tasks, but nothing really stopped him from giving his best.

He requested a transfer to Thrissur and continued working there along with teaching students at home. Now, he wasn’t aware that he wasn’t supposed to do this. He understood it when someone complained about it and was immediately transferred to Ernakulam. He decided to take a month’s leave and continue teaching but someone advised him against it as it would backfire. That year he did not teach. In fact, that was the only year he took a break from teaching. Because even when he was in Kozhikode, he taught three peons who further passed their exams and got promoted to higher positions.

After requesting a retransfer to Thrissur, the next year, he resumed teaching. He knew anyone could transfer him if someone found out again. If that would happen, he decided, he would just apply for a long leave. This time he was sure, he won't stop teaching no matter what happens. And luckily, he didn't have to. He still doesn't know how no one bothered to disturb him again. It was the first and the last time that his teaching posed a problem in his life.

He cleared his inspector test and didn’t go for the next because then he would have not gotten enough time for his tuition. This way, with a lot of ups and downs in the beginning, he worked in the Income Tax department for 36 wholesome years and retired by amassing a lot of respect for his contribution.

His Mode Of Transport: An Epitome Of Self-Reliance

The strongest reason why I think he is the perfect example of self-reliance is how he chose to travel all these years. It would have been so simple for him to just appoint a driver and let them drive him around, but he decided to do that by himself. Anyone who knows him or has met him must have seen his beloved blue-colored private auto rickshaw that he owns since 1988.

A simple conversation with an auto driver who assured him that he could drive let him there. Back then, it used to take a year or two for vehicles to be delivered after placing the order. He wrote to the Bajaj company and to everyone’s surprise he got it immediately. A nearby workshop owner customised it for him, and then one of his students taught him to drive. On the very first day, he met with a small incident, and seeing the blood once back home, he thought to himself, probably learning to drive was not a wise decision. But the next evening, the boy was at his doorstep on time to teach, and then Achuthan Kutty never looked back.

His auto has since then been with him everywhere - even in the parking space of a theatre that did not allow autos to be parked. Thanks to Achuthan Kutty’s determination to complain to the police and submit a letter from the department to the traffic police. The movie was half done, but he couldn’t let it go. After that, his auto was not stopped anywhere, especially not in that theatre. (*resisting my urge to say yet again - Achumanoda...*)

If you have understood him quite a bit, you can guess the next vehicle he bought for himself - an automatic car! He found himself a teacher just like him who would not allow him to take the easy route. And just like that, Achuthan Kutty became a student once again. With the bait of a ‘good’ tea stall across one of the most difficult and busiest roads, he would encourage Achuthan Kutty to drive. It wasn’t easy, but within a year he managed to do that as well. He doesn’t use his car like his auto but is proud that he managed to learn to drive them both. The officer who approved his license when he hardly knew anything had advised him to drive only after learning if he cared for his life. I’m sure he would be very proud to see him now!

Now My Question: What Drives Him To Do All Of This?

As I sat talking to this man who doesn’t look his age at all, I asked him - how did he do all of this when he could have chosen an easier path for himself? Followed by the question - what drives him still to do everything he is expected to do and much, much more?

To the former question, he answers, determination.

He believes and strongly advocates, determination beats talent. For every choice he made and for every achievement of his, there was a strong ‘must’ according to him. In his own words -

“If I must do it, I should do it, and I will do it. I won’t take no for an answer.”

To the latter question, he answers, teaching.

He started to teach after being inspired by his own brother and always wanted to impart his knowledge to those in need. As of today, he is teaching the 53rd batch of 10th-standard students. There is not a better example to show his love for teaching, isn’t it? He thoroughly enjoys being in the company of 14-15-year-olds as it allows him to step down and be one of them. They are his source of enthusiasm, curiosity, and youthfulness.

That’s why he says, his mind is young, even though the body has started to show him his real age.

He concludes, while his life was filled with struggles, he doesn’t think it can be called adventurous or had any superhuman element. These situations occur to more people than we know, and worse things have happened that we cannot even imagine.

Throughout all the challenges, he was guided by his never give up attitude and just one question - why cannot I do it? He adds, while sympathy has never helped, there have been a lot of people who have helped him in this journey, and is truly grateful for them.

If I may add, I think he never left teaching and vice versa as a means to give back to those people and the society that eventually gave him a space of his own, a loving name ‘Warriar Mash’, and immeasurable respect and love that can only be earned by the likes of him.