Demonstrations

One of the women's groups main ways of instigating change is to demonstrate. Individually, they have litte influence, but when they demonstrate as a group, people take notice. Here, Gomathi, our main social worker (and much more besides!) leads a group demonstrating outside the police station against illegal arak dealers. Many poor people use arak to drown their sorrows and to gain respite through oblivion. However, arak leads to many problems, not least taking what little cash is available and which should have been spent on food or other essentials. A significant contributing factor in Valli's suicide was depression compounded by arak. Her friends are able to channel their grief and anger as a group, hopefully encouraging the police to take a firmer line with the criminals who make and sell arak.

Sonja- our Tamil/English rose

I am delighted that Sonja is still able to study at Mettupalayam School. She arrived in January with her family who are staying in the Mettupalayam area. She is an albino girl, whose parents and sister are very typical Tamils. According to our doctor, Paramasivam, albinism is more comon in India than here, and brings with it a host of problems. The most obvious is that, without skin pigmentation, Sonja must stay out of the sun, so studying at school can be quite difficult. We are arranging to send out sunblock, which is impossible to find in our rural area, and also some sunhats.
It is very surreal for us to see Sonja with her family and to hear her speaking Tamil. She looks just like a beautiful English rose!

Obituary

Valli, a tribal woman from the Mettupalayam Quarry community, wife to Gopal, mother to Canaan and Mari. I know very little about Valli's life before we first found this small group of people during our visit to Mettupalayam in August 2004. At that time there were 14 families working as bonded labour (slaves) to a quarry owner next to our farm. Thanks to the generosity of Sadeh Lok Housing Group, Huddersfield, we managed to buy out all their debts, freeing them to find alternative employment. Some of the families left, however, 6 families stayed behind and we built houses for them, employing them in a communal quarry at much higher wages, provided good food and employment on the farm when quarrying was not possible due to the weather, and of course, took all 4 of the children into our Mettupalayam Primary School. We have also given them access to medical care.
Just last month, Mari graduated to the High School, a marvellous achievement for her and for her teachers.
This week was the 10th anniversary of Valli's father's death. He hanged himself from a tree near to the quarry settlement. We believe that Valli had been depressed and drinking. At the weekend she was found hanging from the same branch.
Life for Valli has been profoundly difficult, as it is for the vast majority of India's tribal people (dalits, untouchables). Our hope is for the next generation and we will continue to support Gopal Canaan and Mari.
Gopal Valli and Mari are pictured in the previous blog.

Mari at the High School!

Three years ago, Mari was working all day with her bonded labour parents, breaking granite for a pittance. She was suffering from long term problems due to inadequate food and little or no healthcare. After we paid off the family debts ( Thanks to the generosity of the directors and staff at Sadeh Lok Housing Group Ltd, Huddersfield)Mari started studying at our Mettupalayam Primary School. In the 3 years since, she has worked very hard and recently passed her High School entrance exams. IRDT have paid her annual school subs (about £4!), paid for her uniform and bought her a bike to travel to school. I dream that one day she may go to college!
In 2006 when she passed through puberty, her parents arranged a marriage for her with a 17 year old boy in the same tribal group. However, he very sadly died shortly before the wedding and so Mari was able to stay on at school. We have encouraged Mari's parents to delay any further arrangements for marriage whilst she is studying and continue to provide them with well paid work and healthcare support.

What goes around, comes around

We see many examples of the way in which our primary school education forms the foundation of future lives. On our visit in 2006, we attended the pre wedding ceremony of one of the teachers, Indumathi. She had been a Mettupalayam pupil, went off to secondary, and higher secondary school, completed her basic teaching qualification, and returned to work at the school. On marriage, she left, as is the custom, and now has 2 young children. Today she visited Venkatachalam to ask about the possibility of attending college to study for a BA Ed degree! We will encourage and support her- it is rare for a married women in our rural area to have the opportunity and the support from her husband to do this. She may possibly return to teach again at Mettupalayam School- a great example of the wheel turning full circle.

Weddings

Weddings always cause much excitement, and Vernkat's extended family in Dharmapuri are preparing for one! Our very good Friend Kahli (far right) is to marry in August, with the betrothal ceremony due to take place tomorrow (12th June). Kahli and her sister Sakthi have worked at IRDT Mettupalayam for a long time, Venkat helped them to finish their college education, and also helped Sakthi study for the police entrance exams. Kahli has been working at the Mettupalayam School and helping with the accounts. She will be very difficult to replace when she goes up to Dharmapuri to live with her new husband. Sakthi has been staying with Venkat for the last few weeks whilst he recovers from the operation on his spine but is now back working with the police in Chennai.

Kahli has looked after everyone who has visited Mettupalayam over the last two years, cooking delicious food and making them feel comfortable. We will be thinking of her and wishing her all the best for the future.

New school year starts in Mettupalayam

Ist June is the official start date for the new school year in Tamil Nadu. At Mettupalayam School, we have an initial enrolment of 105 children, but will undoubtedly find another 20 to 40 children joining later. There are 17 children moving on to the Government secondary school. Tomorrow Venkat will be going to pay the fees for the gypsy children- 12 at 300Rps each (about £45 in total). Mari, the tribal former bonded child labourer, has passed her entrance exams for the secondary school and starts later this week. We have given her and her family a lot of support over the past 3 1/2 years, and it is wonderful to see the results.

Nambikki School still awaits the official licence, and is restricted in numbers but we continue to press for it to be issued, knowing that at least 100 children are expected to come.