Experience Speaks!

KOTAGIRI TOWN PANCHAYAT, THE NILIGIRIS, TAMIL NADU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egLfLTftOes

I have uploaded a video in which a sanitary/sweeper/scavengers talks of his way of life. Since it is in Tamil i have translated it here with many point adding to it.

Our condition is worst, administration is prejudiced. If there are 26 Sanitary workers, and all do not work. Only 17 people work. Within this 6 workers are sent to water supply. Withing these Sanitary workers there are Badaga community (a Caste which is dominant in the Niligiris District, Tamil Nadu) too, but they work in the office/water supply. “The people in the office treat us as a slave. If we go with a complaint they would speak very nicely as we leave the place they would dump our complaint aside. Recently there was an incident, which would reveal the way we are treated”. There was a sanitary worker called Mr. Makaali, while he was standing behind the garbage tractor, the driver without noticing him took the vehicle and the back wheel ran through one of his legs. When all Sanitary workers went for asking compensation, the administration said there is no any provision such, still if Mr. Makali applies for a loan, we could sanction the amount at the earliest. Later, they sanctioned a personal loan Rs. 1, 00,000/- for his treatment. At present he can’t walk and his job is done by his wife. Kotagiri Town Panchayat has 26 sanitary workers, who are working for 21 wards, has haatis, colonies, villages etc. These 26 staffs are distributed the tractor will have 4 person, Doonigton 1, Johnson Square 2, market 5, Bustand 2, RamChand 2, bazaar 2, water supply 5, lorry 3, with this limited number we can’t take leave or attend any family functions because if we take our work would get piled up next day. On this context we demand more staffs. (This is the situation of Sweepers/Sanitary staffs across Tamil Nadu) They don’t have weekly off. Wednesday and Sundays are half a day. Our profession gives food for us and it is God, because of some people they think ill about the profession. Basically it is because of the Caste they treat us like this. Medical Facilities: We are not given any special attention in medical. And most of the time we are get treated in the Private hospital. Education For sweepers Tamil Nadu Adi-Dravida Housing and Development Corporation (THADCO) is the organization working with this people to uplift these communities. They provide scholarship for these children, if a person is Pursuing under graduation without any other assistant, they he would be provided Rs.1000/ per anum. (I don’t understand the logic; they say that to receive this money the candidate should not be availing any other assistant.) Quarters And in the office anyone talks about ‘Campline’, the place where the government quarters is situated and we live. In this area we have a public water tank. Since we are sent to clean many public tanks, we asked the administration to allow us to clean our tanks too. They said you can clean your tank, why do you ask us, after you complete your daily duties here, you can gather some people and clean your public tank. Basically we work till 5.00pm every day. How it is possible for us to go and clean our tank after this time. Apart from this we have been complain about the drainage getting mixed with the drinking water but still no response from the administration. The quarters we live was built before 50 years, without toilets and every houses now are dilapidated and like “Sunami” some houses have fallen. The quarters lack basic facilities, and we are paying Rs. 900/- as rent every month. In kotagiri you can get a good house for Rs. 1000/- with attached bathroom and a toilet. The place we live in is unclean the drainage is open, if it rains the water would be on everyone’s doors. We clean the whole town and our living place is unclean. We are tired of demanding the administration. Every time they say, we will be getting M.P’s fund, Central fund and M.L.A fund then sure we will do it. Our demand is only a basic facilities, especially a toilet, and a society center.

Discrimination met by Dalit students

How Caste functions in an academical atmosphere, at the level of teaching.
Across India the question of Caste and its funtion is debated and discussed in various fields, at present let us focus on academics and political arena. Therefore let us understand Caste in the present issue (in the context of English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad). The Indian government had introduced the reservation policy for those who are socially and economically backwardness, the backwardness was debated and discussed. The backwardness is still debated in the educational and other various arenas. It is every important to see on what level those issues are debated, either in bookish or in practical. Before let us see where do the backward students come from?

The majority of the Indian population dwells in the rural population, without schools and sometimes without even electricity. They live under poverty. It becomes an imagination for the partents to admit their sons in english medium. Some times even the sons/daughters go to work to support their family. There are students who go to school for the mid day meal. These are very little problems they face in their every day life. Still students explore in their studies.

To imporve the backwardness the Indian government introduced Government schools in across every state. Every person knows the conditions of those schools. In fact those are schools for name sake in rural areas, where there are no faculties even and in certain places there are no proper buildings to hold classes, when it rains or during the hot sun. Even the facuties will be irrruegular, I still remember a faculty who will be drunk in class (Government Hight School, Kotagiri),

Those people who get educated and come to a higher position also fails in addressing these primary and long term issues. There are still good number of population do not even go to the schools. It lies due to the lack of visibility from the governmental pro gramme to educate or to reform the academic atmosphere. Most students from rural areas are the first generation. Yes, it is surprising that they are first generation even after 60 years of Independence. The surprise does not stop here, because there are crores of people who are not availing this education also still. (Let us ask ourselves. How many Bhangis, mehtars, pakis, sakkiliyars, or any student from Scavenging background? When you count you may get a shocking result.)
It is as important to discuss or see even how their atmosphere is in back home, which is an alienated from their studies. However, still people explore in the results and at recent times there are people who come under open category. It may arise a question immediately, why there are people who do not explore as the others who do. The answer should be directed towards ourselves, why in general category there are people who fail?. Therefore the success of some students cannot be compared or be a deciding factor of the system or the teachers involved in teaching. Even faculty knew that there are different students coming from different background, socially, regionally, economically, to study. The teachers should know that the students coming from such a deprived background is not an optional of their choice. If the teacher is aware of such a background or the history of their backwardness, then the teacher will pay special attention and encourage such students in class. The encouraging happens but at what level, just at the level of comedy (monetary help and providing books) or with sincerity in educating them. Even the success of any teacher lies not at the level of students who are already ‘forward’ in their education but rather those who educate students from the scratch. How many students did this university produce? However, there is a limit even in the involvement of faculty is concerned, which I am aware of. And I am speaking in the level of their involvement not on their limitation above the sky. There are rules framed or governed by the administration to make sure the students involvement in the academics too. I am speaking of those students whose academical involvement was fulfilled, such as their attendance and giving their internal exams.
Every teachers who teach would have knew that certain students are not going to qualify. Before going further I even like to say there can be occasions where students are forced not to qualify in their exams. In the first case the teachers should have involved to teach her and made sure she is prepared to face the exam.
Let us take the statistics of the present exams result. There are many students who are failed. Cant we see some similarity among all those who failed the exam. If we think that they do not study well then I suppose we have to go and read the injustice done to those people historically and get back to read the rest of the article. The similarity is Caste in large.
The Face of Discrimination on Caste lines
According to the Supreme Court order, said students who failed in three subjects should be given a chance and promoted to the next semester. Though the order was these in favour of the students one department was reluctant to follow, and showed the University rules where the students cannot be permitted. The teacher even said if I have the power to allow them in class I would be the first person to do so. Therefore it was said that the faculty will allow if only VC, the supreme authority to decide, involves by permitting them to allow in class. Then came the shock when VC wrote to the faculty to allow, the faculty replied she might resign rather allowing the student in the class. This is where the social context interfere to make us understand the reason for the faculty not involving the students to the class. The faculty is from the Upper Caste and this is the third time the same teacher shows such a discrimination to students who are socially backward. Is this the behavior of the teacher to show such a discrimination towards students who are socially backward? However, I would like to say at this instance that it is not all faculties are treating socially backward students like this. There are many faculties who treat all students equally and educate them. As a result here I am writing because of a faculty who taught and encouraged me.