When C Ramamoorthy, who was grazing cows at Virudhunagar district collectorate in 2010, was asked by a tahsildar to join his coaching class there, little did he know that it would be a lifechanging moment. He had completed Class XII but was unaware that he was qualified enough to become a village administrative officer (VAO). He attended a day's class at the free coaching centre. From there on, there was no looking back for him and he went on to become a VAO in a few months."I did not realise my potential. After attending just one class, I was highly motivated and started preparing for government jobs. Within a few months I got a few offers and I chose to become a VAO," says Ramamoorthy .However, the hero of the story is K Marimuthu, 50, the tahsildar who has helped hun dreds of people working in cracker units and mills to crack the test for government jobs. He dedicates his weekends to taking free coaching classes for aspirants who gather at the revenue officials association building on the collectorate campus.Marimuthu started coaching free of cost 10 years ago. He says he has helped over 3,000 people land government jobs, among whom 300 are working on the Virudhunagar district collector's office campus.Competitive exams for government jobs consist of questions from science, mathematics, history , Tamil and English grammar, general knowledge as well as aptitude. "I spend every morning and night to prepare. When I read a subject, I want to know it inside out.This makes the difference as a teacher," he said.Marimuthu hails from a poor family . He belongs to Watrap, known as the agricultural hub of Virudhunagar district. After his father developed health complications, his mother became the sole breadwinner, leaving him to fight all odds through education.

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