In 2018, at the age of 96, Karthyayani Amma scored 98 out of 100 marks and became the top scorer in the state literacy mission’s Akshara Laksham project. An inspiring poster girl of Kerala’s adult literacy programme, Karthyayani Amma died at the age of 101 at her house at Cheppad in Alappuzha in the early hours of Wednesday. In 2018, she hit the headlines by becoming the top scorer in the state literacy mission’s flagship adult literacy programme Akshara Laksham. At the age of 96, Karthyayani scored 98 out of 100 marks in the exam that tested writing and mathematical skills. In recognition of her passion for learning, the Kerala government gifted her a laptop after she expressed her intention to learn English. She was later honoured with the Nari Shakti Puraskar by the country. Karthyayani was then among 60,000 people in the state who had been initiated into the world of letters through over half a dozen literacy schemes run by the mission. Karthyayani had never been to school as she worked as a domestic help and cleaner. Her husband, Krishna Pillai, died in 1961. Her daughter Amminiamma, 51, a school dropout, inspired her mother to join the classes. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his condolence message, said Karthyayani was Kerala’s pride and a model individual. She inspired hundreds of school dropouts, said Vijayan. In 2020, Karthyayani’s record as the oldest student of the state literacy mission was overhauled by Bhageerathi Amma, then a 105-year-old, who cleared the 4-level test with 74.5 per cent marks.