Kerala CM Satheesan gets 6-year-old Rivani a home after viral appeal
Synopsis
A six-year-old's rain-soaked plea — 'When I grow up, I will give you money' — did what multiple Life Mission applications could not: it got Rivani's family a home. The viral video from Vizhinjam Mullur has moved both a Kerala CM and a private business group to act, exposing the gap between a flagship housing scheme and the families it is meant to reach.
Key Takeaways
Rivani , aged 6 , from Vizhinjam Mullur, Thiruvananthapuram , appealed to Kerala CM V.D.
Satheesan for a permanent home in a video that went viral.
A private business group has committed to constructing a house for Rivani's family after the video gained public attention.
The group is also partnering with Mammootty's Care and Share International Foundation to provide educational support under the Vidyamritham project.
Rivani and her brother Ivan (Class VI) currently live in a makeshift shelter on a 2.5-cent plot ; their father Rigil drives an autorickshaw.
The family had applied several times under Kerala's Life Mission housing scheme without receiving assistance.
Six-year-old Rivani, a Class I student from Vizhinjam Mullur in Thiruvananthapuram, is set to receive a permanent home after her emotional video appeal to Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan went viral and moved a private business group to fund construction. The child's simple promise — “When I grow up, I will give you money” — has since drawn national attention to her family's precarious living conditions.
The Appeal That Went Viral
Rivani, a student of Government KV LPS, Vizhinjam Mullur, recorded a video in which she described the hardship her family endures. “When it rains at night, we cannot sleep… Dear Chief Minister uncle, can you build us a new house? We can sleep peacefully there. When I grow up, I will give you money,” she said. The video circulated widely, prompting Chief Minister Satheesan to personally contact Rivani's mother, Priyanka, and assure the family of housing support.
Business Group Steps In
Following the Chief Minister's assurance, a private business group's Chairman informed CM Satheesan that the group would construct a house for Rivani's family, according to the Chief Minister's Office. The group has also partnered with actor Mammootty's Care and Share International Foundation to extend educational support to Rivani through the Vidyamritham project.
The Family's Circumstances
Rivani and her elder brother Ivan, a Class VI student, currently live in a makeshift shelter covered with plastic sheets and cloth on a 2.5-cent plot. Their father, Rigil, works as an autorickshaw driver. The family had applied multiple times under the Life Mission housing scheme but had not received assistance prior to the viral appeal.
What Happens Next
With the private group now committed to construction, Rivani's family is set to move from a temporary shelter to a secure home. Her continued schooling will be supported under the Vidyamritham project. The case has reignited scrutiny of the Life Mission scheme's reach, particularly for families in coastal and semi-urban pockets of Kerala who have repeatedly applied without success.
Point of View
One of Kerala's most publicised welfare programmes, and received nothing. It took a child's viral video to unlock what a formal application process could not. That gap — between scheme design and last-mile delivery — is the real story here, and it will persist long after Rivani's house is built.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rivani and why did her video go viral?
Rivani is a six-year-old Class I student from Vizhinjam Mullur in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Her video appeal to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, in which she asked for a home and promised to repay him when she grew up, went viral for its emotional sincerity and the stark living conditions it revealed.
What action did Kerala CM Satheesan take after seeing the video?
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan personally contacted Rivani's mother, Priyanka, and assured the family they would be provided with a home. The Chief Minister's Office subsequently confirmed that a private business group had committed to constructing the house.
Who is building Rivani's house?
A private business group, whose Chairman reached out to CM Satheesan directly, has agreed to fund and construct the house for Rivani's family. The group is also providing educational support through Mammootty's Care and Share International Foundation under the Vidyamritham project.
Why had the family not received housing help earlier?
Rivani's family had applied multiple times under Kerala's Life Mission housing scheme but had not received assistance. Their case came to wider attention only after the viral video.
What are Rivani's current living conditions?
Rivani and her elder brother Ivan, a Class VI student, live in a makeshift shelter covered with plastic sheets and cloth on a 2.5-cent plot. Their father Rigil works as an autorickshaw driver.
