Sunny
How can it be depressing on a sunny day in India? It is tragically simple.
Go to the Dalit villages and see how they live. It has taken me some time to write this page.
I am still trying to understand how people could be allowed to live under these conditions –
anywhere in the world. This is a wealthy country. It has breathtaking beauty, surging economy,
beautiful
people but somehow the poor are permitted to be left behind.
Sure, there are always those who, for whatever reasons, choose to remain where they are.
That may be sad but it is reality. But the innocent, the widows, the children, the handicapped have
no choice if they are poor to begin with. They are broken in spirit and seemingly without hope
unless those who can help do something for them.
St John
Technical Institute
We started by dropping in to the St. John Technical Institute in Manaparai.
We met with Brother Philip the director of the hostel. The facility is open to students wishing to learn a trade.
It is a two-year program focussing on carpentry, machine shop, electricity, fitting, turning and motor mechanics.
Once they graduate they can generally get a job. There are 260 students in the technology program and
about 2500
students in the matriculation program.
Village 1 -
Arasunilaipalayam
We picked up Arockiadoss the treasurer of DKSHA and headed to our first village,
Arasunilaipalayam (Brighton would never fit here). It is a Pariah community. I have decided not to
mention the roads; it would take up too much space. We stopped to get our bearings in the town and the car
was immediately surrounded by children pointing and giggling at me. I am glad that I am not self-conscious.
I avoided the temptation to point and giggle back. Isaac recognised a lady from the Self Help Group
and called her over. She led us a few feet down the road to a home where one of the families lives.
You accessed it by crossing a ditch. They went off to get a board for me to walk on but I merely stepped
across
the 2 feet to the other side into a surreal world. This was my first time in a
Dalit home.
This was a government constructed home. Ten by fifteen feet in size. This space houses up to 10
people but it is common for more to “share” the space. This home provides shelter (as long as it doesn’t
rain in which case the cement roof leaks), sleeping quarters, kitchen facilities (no cooking area),
relaxation area (no electricity except a single 60 watt bulb) and privacy (of which there is none).
There is no
door in the doorway so anyone could walk in a steal from you, as if you had
anything to steal.
There were a
number of concerns put forward by the residents:
I felt the tears welling up within me. These are human beings living an existence based on
birth bias and not on choice. This may be the first time but definitely not the last time that I am moved
this way
on this trip. I took a few pictures and left, with less spring in my step.
Village 2 –
Arasunilaipalayam
Our second village was Arasunilaipalayam, a pallar community (Dalit Sub caste).
This is better
off than the first village. The population is 1861 with 408 families.
The primary school has 175 students with a mixture of Dalit and non-Dalit children.
There is a school for kindergarten. There were 11 students in the class when we arrived but there are more.
We
discussed the school items such as:
The women programs include antenatal care and food allocation. The project is supported by
the World Bank. The kindergarten children are fed three times a week by the government through
local
administration.
Suddenly, the place began filling up with adults. The women came in but the men remained outside looking in.
We discussed the same items as the last village. They have many similar problems. There is limited
transportation
and it is a long walk – to anywhere. I had my first cup of tea and it was
delicious
I took
pictures and we bade farewell. Off to Patnapatty.
Village 3 -
Patnapatty
This is a small village of 21 families making up 200 residents occupying 20 houses. The government
school is 1 km away. That’s a nice walk for older children but rather far for kindergarten ones. In total,
20 children
attend that school.
The main occupation for the women is at the artificial diamond plant. This is a competing plant for the
one in which the women in Arasunitaipalayam work. They live mainly on government rations. There is a
ration
card for each family. A bus passes through three times a day.
As in the other villages, each home has a single 60-watt light bulb. The power is not always on. Isaac
mentioned that the children are suffering from eyestrain with the bulb. I asked about using 100 to 150
equivalent
fluorescent bulbs instead. They would give more light and save energy. He was
going to think about it.
The feeling is that there is a need for a project or projects. I mentioned that since he is much closer to the
issues than we; it was his decision as to what to propose and ours to decide what to support and put forward
the funding.
Now was the time to climb a mountain.
On the way we stopped by Rotarian P. Varadan’s shop to talk about the role of Rotary in the project.
He sweetened us up with some of his frozen desserts. They were very good. A small ice cream cup.
He passed on a
copy of the district summary for me to read.
Mountain in
Malaiyadipatty
Finally we headed off to St. Thomas’s Mountain. According to local history, St. Thomas established
a church on the mountain. There is a small chapel reputed to be the original chapel in which he worshipped.
It’s a
long way up to the top and fortunately we can take a car.
In the summer time, there is a bustling tourist interest but today we were the only ones. The church is cared
for by a few people. We were allowed inside. Very quiet. The breeze was wonderful, just the right thing
for a
summer’s day.
St John
Technical Institute
We went back to the Technical Institute and had a tour. This is Isaac’s alma mater. His legend still
haunts the place. We had snacks and discussed the old days. Then we were off for dinner at the home of Arockia
Doss, a Dalit
fitting teacher at the Institute for the past 25 years.
Back home and
time for a well-deserved sleep. Been a long day.