Aspirants taking part in endurance tests at the Pudhiya Siragugal training academy in Kappur in Villupuram district on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
KUMAR SS
Aspirants taking part in endurance tests at the Pudhiya Siragugal training academy in Kappur in Villupuram district on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
KUMAR SS
Once a source of livelihood for a farming family, a two-and-a-half-acre plot in Kappur, a nondescript village in Villupuram district, is now nurturing the ambitions of rural youngsters.
Meet R.J. Tholkappiyan Sivaraj, a head constable and his brother R.J. Sathyaraj, a constable with the Tamil Nadu Police who established Pudhiya Siragugal, a free training academy to help young aspirants to prepare for police recruitment and the Tamil Nadu Public Services Commission (TNPSC).
Drawing on their experience in the police force and their academic qualifications, the brothers combine classroom teaching with physical training, handling both aspects themselves. Sivaraj holds an M.Phil in Economics and is posted at Tirukoyilur, while Sathyaraj, a postgraduate in Physics, serves at Ulundurpet.
Pudhiya Siragugal grew out of Sivaraj’s own experience of preparing for competitive examinations without paid coaching.
“I was fascinated by the police force since childhood and grew up dreaming of wearing the Khaki uniform one day. While pursuing a Master’s degree in Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College in Chennai, I studied for competitive exams alongside the course and eventually joined the force,” he says.
After completing his initial police training in Pudukottai district in 2009, Sivaraj was posted to Chennai in 2010.
Alongside his police duties, he along with his friend Loganathan started the Periyar Academy with a modest investment of ₹10,000 to coach aspirants for government recruitment examinations, particularly those conducted by the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board.
According to Sivaraj, all 33 students in his first batch cleared their exams, encouraging him to expand the initiative to his native Kappur in Villupuram district.
In 2015, he established the Pudhiya Siragugal academy in his home village of Kappur, in Villupuram district, after his father agreed to make the family’s two-acre farmland available. His brother and sister subsequently contributed to teaching and training.
According to Sivaraj, “The academy aims to help rural youngsters from financially disadvantaged families secure government jobs. It provides free academic coaching, physical training and accommodation, addressing both the cost of instruction and the living expenses that can prevent aspirants from pursuing their goals.”
Pudhiya Siragugal is equipped with a library, gymnasium and rope-climbing facilities for trainees to help them build strength, stamina and agility as part of their preparation for police service. The brothers have also completed Commando training and their training has been particulalry useful in conducting physical training sessions. The academy has also separate dormitories for both boys and girls.
The preparation covers both written examinations and the physical requirements of certain recruitment processes. Students have access to a gymnasium, rope climbing, and running tracks, alongside subject lessons and tests. As many as 60 aspirants are now staying there.
Around 750-800 candidates trained at Kappur have secured jobs in the police, revenue and other departments so far.
“The academy offers an integrated coaching programme that combines competitive examination preparation with physical fitness, mock tests and additional skills training. Students are also taught shortcuts tailored to different question types and their levels of understanding, with the aim of helping them save time during examinations,” Mohana Arumugam, an aspirant said.
Sivaraj’s brother, Sathyaraj, assists with teaching and physical training. Together, they help students prepare without burdening their families with coaching and living expenses.
Sivaraj says he received offers from people wanting to lease the fertile land for agriculture or poultry farming, which would have provided an assured income, but turned them down to keep it available for the academy.
With over 60 students preparing for examinations at Kappur, Sivaraj hopes to help more rural youngsters enter government service. For the brothers, the academy’s prupose extends beyond helping candidates clear examinations. They also seek to foster a sense of responsibility among those entering the government service.
“Our aim is to instil ethical values and a sense of responsibility in those entering public service,” Sathyaraj says.
Published – October 09, 2026 04:07 am IST
