Latest news with #ScheduledTribesDevelopmentDepartment
India.com
10-07-2025
- General
- India.com
Meet Renu Raj: Daughter Of Bus Conductor Who Struck Gold Twice With Hard-Work, Became A Doctor And Then Cracked UPSC To Become IAS
photoDetails english 2929548 Updated:Jul 10, 2025, 10:52 AM IST Determination 1 / 7 Success favors those who persevere and refuse to give up. Wealth or privilege isn't a requirement to achieve your dreams. What truly matters is having the courage, patience, determination, and consistent effort to stay focused and work toward your goals. Renu's family situation 2 / 7 Renu Raj was raised in a humble household where her father, M.K. Rajkumar Nair, worked as a government bus conductor and her mother managed the home. Despite their modest background, Renu remained committed to her dreams and was determined from an early age to accomplish something meaningful in life. Educational background 3 / 7 Renu Raj pursued her medical education at a government medical college in Kottayam and went on to work as a surgeon. However, she felt unfulfilled and sought a deeper way to serve society. Driven by purpose and determination, she set her sights on the Civil Services Examination and began her preparation. Renu's dedication 4 / 7 While preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Exam, Renu Raj dedicated 6 to 8 hours each day to her studies, all while continuing her work as a doctor. Her hard work paid off in her very first attempt in 2015, when she not only cleared the exam but secured an impressive All India Rank (AIR) 2. Kerala cadre 5 / 7 According to media reports, Renu Raj was assigned to the Kerala cadre. In an interview, she explained that while she could help hundreds of people as a doctor, becoming an IAS officer gave her the opportunity to positively impact thousands of lives. Sub-Divisional Magistrate 6 / 7 Since joining the service, she has held key administrative roles, including Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and District Magistrate (DM) in various districts of Kerala. In 2022, she tied the knot with fellow IAS officer Sriram Venkataraman. Director of the Scheduled Tribes Development Department in Kerala 7 / 7 Renu Raj's journey in the civil services has been defined by strong decision-making and a deep commitment to ethical governance. She earned praise for her decisive actions against illegal constructions and land encroachments in Munnar, showcasing her resolve to enforce the law and protect the environment. As the District Collector of Wayanad, she tackled local challenges with a problem-solving mindset. Currently serving as the Director of the Scheduled Tribes Development Department in Kerala, she remains dedicated to uplifting marginalized communities and ensuring inclusive development.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- The Hindu
How an art teacher took a summer art camp to the tribal children of Malakkappara in Kerala
At a tribal settlement in Perumpara Colony in Malakkappara, a hilly region on the Kerala-Tamil border, a few children sit down to paint. They have just got a fresh stash of art materials — paints including acrylic, watercolour, oil, charcoal, crayons — paper and brushes. They are at an art camp, organised by Priya Shibu, an art teacher from Thrissur. It is not often that tribal children have access to a mainstream summer camps; their vacations are often spent working. Many of them, who belong to the Kadar tribe, accompany their parents who enter the deep forests in search of honey, or they work in the tea plantations. 'The children don't have the luxury to enjoy their summer vacations,' says Priya, who felt she could organise an art camp for them which would let them play freely with paint and create something out of their own imagination. Priya, who was teaching at the Government Model Residential School for boys at Wadakkanchery, had a few students from Malakkappara with whom she developed a deep bond. She encouraged these children to explore their inner feelings and express it through art. 'Most of these children are incredibly talented. Their art has an honesty that is rare,' she adds. Even after she left the school to join P Bhaskaran Memorial Higher Secondary School in Kodungallur, Priya kept in touch with her former students. She procured permission from the Scheduled Tribes Development Department to conduct the camp in April and she went with a small team of seven people — her husband, two daughters, a relative, a friend and a student. The two-day camp, says Priya, was an unforgettable experience. While her former students were overjoyed to work with her, they ensured they brought along their friends to the camp. 'We even had a child as young as four years,' she adds. The children would often bring their pet dogs and goats too, who would faithfully hang around. In the evenings, their parents joined, too, regaling them with stories and experiences of life in the forest. In addition to their individual canvases, the children, guided by Priya, painted the walls of an elderly woman's house, who was only too glad to be a part of the camp. The children painted what they wanted to, which mostly comprised the sights they are used to in the forest. Their temple festivals, the honey gatherers, the tea leaf pickers, the forest itself and the animals and birds, featured in the works. 'For instance, Bruno, Subramanyan and Tikku, their dogs were in the paintings they drew, so was the hornbill, which is commonly seen in these forests,' adds Priya. In the two days they spent with the tribal community, they formed lasting friendships, says Priya. 'The villagers would bring us little gifts such as a string of jasmine flowers, or something to eat. One day, there was a power outage and we were surrounded by swarms of fireflies that seemed to have descended from the heavens; it is an experience I would always cherish,' says Priya. Twenty-six children attended the camp. Priya has been working with tribal children to help them channel their energies through art. While teaching at MRS, she encouraged them to paint a library and the school walls. She even took the children to Kochi in 2023 to paint a mural at the Kashi Hallegua House at Jew Town. 'Art, with its therapeutic qualities, is a great way to help these children cope with their situation. It would help them keep off alcohol and drugs, common among tribal youth,' says Priya. She runs a gallery, Pura, at her home at Mankuttipadam Village, in Kodali, near Chalakkudy town. The 30 paintings of the children would be framed and put up for a show at Pura. 'I asked the children to suggest a name for the camp and they wanted to call it 'Adavi'. The word means forest in their language.'
