Breaking the lull, and finding the self

It's been a long long time since I've written.

In fact it's been a while since I've felt like myself at all -powerful, energetic, smiling.The second term of my course has drained whatever was left of my physical and mental energy.

There are a lot of gaping holes now.There is a lack of direction to life,that I am actually enjoying.There is no past,no future.Just this moment.And this is what made my college trip to Vellore a delight.

-------

We went there to shoot a fifteen minute documentary.After arriving there,on the first day,we had lunch in this absolute mess of a place called Arya Bhavan.Their dosas were floating in oil,and the sambaar tasted like ink.(That's right,I've tasted ink!)Their chilli parota,I'm sure,as delicious as it was,could seriously block a few arteries if you ate it for lunch for a month.

We set out to the Tamil Nadu Science Federation after that,to meet our resource-people.They gave us a broad outline of the topics we could focus on,which were like the usual beats in an newsroom-education,environment and health.My group chose child labour and education.Some rather enthusiastic people even insisted on climbing the Yelagri hills,which were being battered by Thor and Co to see the tribals.I tried to keep a straight face.Yep,I even teased my friend Krash about it.What did they expect?Face-painted,spear-toting,humba-humba chanting blokes who sang and danced around the bonfire and worshipped bottles of country liquor?

So much for not exoticising the marginalized.I gave up.As did my Professor.

In the evening,Krash and 2 other friends- RK and AP went to a delightful place called Chinatown opposite the famous Christian Medical College a.k.a CMC.Then we decided we'd find a bar nearby.There was a good one in a hotel nearby and as RK said,it was "hardly shady".I couldn't suppress a giggle when he said that.It was like a cave and new Tamil songs were playing on overhead TV sets,the lurid colours lighting up the place in flashes.

-------

Day 2 was desperately and hopelessly pathetic.We started nearly 45 minutes behind schedule.We tromped around two villages,looking at special child labour schools which make sure kids are weaned off their jobs and slowly integrated into mainstream schools eventually.

We skipped lunch because our resource-person was magnificently resourceful and did not expect that the only hotel in the village would be shut.We couldnt go back to town,whcih was a good 20 km away,as we had more work in the village.So we had bread and potato fritters for lunch.I ate half a loaf that was begging for some cheese as company.But I was told very sarcastically that cheese was a luxury item.

I know.No harm in trying for it though,right?:-)

------

Day 3 was manna from heaven.It set into motion a frenzy of activity that resulted in all of us shooting a formidable 4 tapes (roughly 240 minutes of footage) within the next 48 hours.I'm not even attempting to explain exactly how we did that.
All we did is go back to the villages and shoot all that we had simply gaped at the previous day.In the pouring rain.

We even followed a kid called Faizana(oh yes,name changed to protect identity)who led us to the dirtiest village river I've ever seen.The banks were strewn with multicoloured plastic bags.Looked like a giant confetti can had exploded over it.The water was a murky,opaque brownish grey and Faizana walked barefoot through the path to the bank.We walked with our expensive running shoes firmly ensconcing themselves in the five different types of shit that were on the way.

Our brave cameraman Saru,in his state of dedicated focusing and defocusing("broadcast language is so showy,humph"),even sat on some shit.No idea what kind.But I was benevolent enough to make it known to the entire lodge in the evening that he had shit on his backside which wasn't even his own.Some laughed,their eyes catching the dim light.Some grimaced.Some chortled till their eyes disappeared.

And lunch?Oh,it was orgasmic.Earth shattering.Lovely,scrumplicious South Indian meals for 15 bucks!One rupee extra for extra appalams (paapads).I was the first to finish everything on my banana leaf.

Then we headed to a one of many leather factories in Ambur,which my Professor called "f*cking fortresses" in her shrill voice.Twice.A few winced.I agreed,because,by the time Saru tried to get shots of any one process in the factory,the tour escort would come and whisk him away.But Saru is like a wall.You can pound and scream,but he won't budge.And he didn't.

The same leather factory owner also talked to his shoe factory owning relative and got us in there.But we couldn't take the camera.So,we had to make do with still cameras.My friend,Niv managed to shoot a small video on that before we were whisked away unceremoniously once again.

On a more serious note,these visits revealed a lot.In the tanning factory,some guys who treated the leather with acid were standing absolutely barefoot while a sign "Caution:Enter with footwear" shone overhead.And nearly all the workers in the shoe factory were women,some of whom have to stand for hours at a stretch.We couldn't even talk to those who looked underage.

Next,we went to more villages in the vicinity.In one place,there was a house where there were children sitting and stitching "uppers" for shoes openly under a thatched roof in the terrace.Oho yeah,field day for us with the camera.We did some interviews and took shots.That is,before the owner of the house realized we were potential mischief- makers and told us to unplug the microphone from the camera.But all cameras have inbuilt mics yaar.:-)

Now,the day was fruitful.My professor even said "You're human,R.You're a good person".The previous day I was behaving like what they call a typical "broadcaster", pushing everyone and telling them we could do without food for a day,and nagging them, and driving everyone,including myself,crazy.So,when she said this,I smiled.
I'm human all right.And very weak.

The one sore point of the day was our resourceperson.The man brushed past my rear during lunch ,while heading to the handwash,which I dismissed as a possible mistake.
But then he insisted on coming in front of the camera when we shot in the factory,and tried to grasp some girl's arm or the other,under the pretext of getting into the van,or saying we're late.I kept running from him.Didn't make a fuss.I think I should have.I told A about it and he was very clear that if people like us didn't speak out,these morons wouldn't learn.

He was right.

------

Day 4-we called up a contact another one of our professors had told us about.The gentleman was really sweet and showed us around another school for child labourers.It had a Muslim majority and the kids talked to us in Hindi,much to the delight of my teammates,many of whom found they didn't need me to translate their queries for once.The anklebiters called me "aunty" and I said,nah,akka(elder sister) please.They made us write our names in their notebooks and yelled goodbye into the camera very spiritedly when my pal Meen asked them to.And then,when we got ready to leave,we were asked the question that always leaves me stumped: "You will come back tomorrow?"

I could only stand there,my mouth moving wordlessly.I cannot believe we are using children to sell a story.Such is the nature of what we do,say my professors.

The rest of the day was spent in talking to the "official" chaps who work on the child labour elimination project.They were real darlings.

Went for drinks again.Before dinner this time.It was just me and three of the guys.I wasn't exactly tipsy but RK insisted on cracking jokes in Malayalam that I couldn't help giggling at.He even solemnly told me while leaving the restaurant "R,this is the first step,this is the second.Can you see?" And while I giggled some more and raved to them about how I was grossly misunderstood and a lon(s)er,RK made two very accurate observations.One,I wasn't drunk,but just needed an excuse to talk.And two,that I seemed uncomfortable around and allergic to people.

I was startled.I tried defending myself,but it was pointless.Because RK said what he did based on instinct,not just reason.I knew that.

------

Day 5 involved getting up at 12pm and sitting around,watching every movie that had been denied to us by the idiots who had implemented the set top box fiasco in Chennai.

At midnight we gave my friend Niv a surprise birthday bash,and woke up all the other guests in the lodge.Irate and groggy,they dialled the manager's number.We were told to shut up.But the cake was just going around,and the chips hadn't even been opened yet.After another four warnings,we went back to our rooms,a bunch of blubbering postgraduate journalism students in pyjamas and faded T-shirts.

-------

On day 6,we were ready to leave.We had wrapped up a day earlier than expected.

But the plan was to visit the Vellore fort first.And it was beautiful.The moat was filled and a lazy sparkling granite grey,with green grassy banks.We went to the Jalakantheshwarar temple inside.

I wanted an archanai(Offering.Don't know how else you explain in English.)
For love.For idealism.For hope.For family and friends.
The Lord takes many forms and graces our empty lives.For Him.

The church and mosque in the fort were, unfortunately, closed.We headed back to the lodge,but not before my Professor treated us to gulab-jamuns.:-)
There is still idealism left in this world.In the most unlikely places.

The return journey was blissful.Just miles of grey highway and the azure sky,which turned a deep dark blue when Chennai loomed ahead.

And thus ended what my college touts as its unique feature-a deprivation trip.

I discovered a lot.I learnt a lot.I came back with a smile and a picture of Lord Jalakanteshwarar for Ma.

My slum report

Warning:This was an academic exercise I am posting just to read any time I run out of sleeping pills, and is highly context specific.Therefore,if you have no interest in the words "slum" or "report" or/and are not a Leftist(I admit I am not one),then you will find yourself highly somnolent after paragraph two.
If you're still awake,you must be related to my Left-"leaning" professors or must really like the way I write in journo-officialese i.e the language confused journalism students use to write errm..."reports" :-) .

And no,I do not have any pictures.Not soft copies atleast.






A slum is the dwelling place of the urban poor,and slum dwellers are often described as “squatters”,” and “encroachers”.Slums are stereotyped as unhygienic and “illegal” settlements which breed criminality and detract from the beauty of a city.
Usha Ramanathan,in the Economic and Political Weekly(July 2005),however,defined them as “service providers who keep urban inhabitants in home,health and happiness” and “migrant workers who build up cities for those who can afford to buy what they build” and whose labour is recognised but whose need for residence is simply ignored.
This is despite the fact that they constitute nearly 30 percent of almost any city’s population.

Another misconception about slums is that people who have built cement houses or have access to power or water supply,are in fact not “poor” but belong to the middle-class .But according to Purnima Arun, a teacher who works in slums, any one whose family cannot function if one earning member falls ill for a week or more ,is poor. “If they can be pushed to poverty,and have no savings to fall back on,they are poor”,she elaborated.

About the slum studied:

The Bharatiyar Nagar settlement is located at Bugari third stage,off Canal Road near Neelankarai,Chennai.The estimated number of families here is between 1000 and 1200.

The Neelankarai Panchayat leader,Mr.Ettiappan of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) is in charge of the area.Since it is outside city limits and does not come under the purview of the Chennai Corporation, civic facilities are the Panchayat’s responsibility.

Except for two streets among the 17 streets of Bharatiyar Nagar,the rest are entirely kuccha roads. One small bylane had been cemented,but incessant garbage dumping and the recent rains have reduced it to a heap of rubble.

The fourth and fifth cross streets have been made pucca by the residents themselves,by collecting the required sum and ensuring that a rough gutter was built at the side to divert waste water.

There are streetlights on the main road leading into Bharatiyar Nagar.However,they are absent in several places inside.The main road itself is littered largely with rubbish on the sides and one particular low-lying stretch gets inundated if it rains for an hour.Due to lack of underground drainage,residents are forced to use septic tanks.Those cannot afford to possess and maintain these, use gutters outside their homes.

All those living here are aware that they are living on low-lying land with no patta-which is like contract of ownership given by the government. Many have been here for 12 to 20 years and migrated originally from districts north of Chennai.There are people of varied religious denominations here.

Livelihood , living and income-related data:

Most families in the slum are dual-income families atleast.The monthly income ranges from Rs.2000 to Rs.5000.The men are mostly construction labourers who shift jobs or work as coolies or painters in the nearby markets or industries.Women work as domestic helpers,cleaners,maids,or even as tailors in small companies.

Reena Murali,the wife of an auto-driver,does not work..Their family of four is sustained by Rs.4000. “Once my two-year old son goes to school”,she said, “ I will look for a job.” Meanwhile,her husband has bought his own auto,for which he has obtained a loan of nearly 2 lakhs from a “Seth” in Mandaveli.Reena did admit that repaying the loan will be their first priority.

Maheshwari Balasubramanian is a house-maid with three children.She proudly displayed a new toilet that she constructed and added “The streets were public toilets earlier.We had no real ones.Now we have a septic tank that the Panchayat cleans up at regular intervals”.Her husband is a site supervisor for Tamil Nadu Housing Board and he told us that the land they are staying in belongs to the Army.

Health and facilities available:

The absence of public toilets was a significant problem .However,now out of some 500 brick houses,only a handful do not have toilets.

Drinking water has also become a problem.Metrowater supplies water every alternate day,but residents feel that after the Tsunami the quality of the water has changed.
“We buy water cans because we can afford it.I don’t know about the others”,Tulasi Kanniappan observed.

Also,drain water and monsoon water stagnate and serve as a breeding place for mosquitoes. Kalamani,whose husband Ilango is an opposition leader in the Panchayat blamed the authorities for this squarely. “Our leader Ettiappan says that if you are a slum dweller,you cannot expect better facilities.They should atleast spray some mosquito medicine.It has become impossible to step out of the house after 5 pm.”

Hyrul of Kasturba Gandhi Medical Hospital agreed-“I am a nurse and so I buy bleaching powder for the drain near my house.I still try my best to make these people aware.” Hyrul also administers first aid and emergency help to those in the area.She co-ordinates with the Assistant Nurses sent from the Government to perform routine health checkups.

Before the Injambakkam government hospital became functional a few months back,people here had to go either to Royapettah or to Thiruvanmiyur government hospitals.The irony is that there is a medical shop in the area,but no affordable doctor in the vicinity.M.Kartik,the only one in the area who is pursuing an Engineering course, regrets that there is only a private hospital close by called Shanthi Hospital which is “very expensive” for people with uncertain incomes.

Sophia,a non-governmental organisation(NGO) worker from DESH(Deepam Educational Society for Health) has created much awareness regarding health problems in the area.She originally conducted HIV related campaigns in the area,but in 2002 was assigned the task of starting Self Help Groups for women in South Chennai.

These SHGs or magalir kuzhus are actively involved in making women aware of health problems,affordable treatment and post-natal childcare. “Women who were delivering babies at home without medication and facing unsterilized instruments now understand the significance of basic medical facilities.So,we direct them to the Primary Health Centre in Neelankarai or Voluntary Health Service Hospital in Thorapakkam”,she said, when contacted.

It is due to these SHGs that more women and children attend immunization camps for tuberculosis,filaria and polio.Awareness about problems like osteoporosis ,Reproductive Tract Infection(RTI) and Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STDs)has increased,and due to routine checkups by a mobile health clinic,women are directed to government hospitals for surgical procedures like hysterectomies.

Women’s Issues:

The evolution of the SHGs in Bharatiyar Nagar has ensured that women contribute economically to their homes by learning, working and saving.Sophia from DESH and Dhanalakshmi from Annai Theresa are NGO workers whose efforts have paid off despite initial protests from the men.

The SHGs under Sophia contain a minimum of 20 women are there are eight such groups in Bharatiyar Nagar.The central idea is financial self-sufficiency and the aim is cumulative growth in savings.Women in these groups contribute Rs.100 a month which is deposited in a bank account in a nationalised bank in Adyar.Sophia is also involved in teaching these women,most of whom have just primary education on none at all,how to handle passbooks and transactions.Ambika Srinivasan,a SHG member is happy to acknowledge that they can now access a loan of Rs.80,000 with simply 0.75 percent interest on the strength of their savings.She is a tailor at an exports company but is sure that she can put her daughter through an architecture- diploma college.

These women are also very aware and articulate about problems.Ambika is unhappy that there is no ration shop nearby except at Neelankarai where there is often shortage of stock.The recent rains and resulting malaria and typhoid have exposed the need for a proper drainage system.M.Shanthi is indignant- “Why did they not divert the water to the Cooum like they promised?Now,our area along with the nearby slums in Rajendirar Nagar are inundated.We will ensure this does not happen again.”

Education:

There is a Government Hospital in Vetuvankanni with classes upto fifth standard.
Sasi,a class 10 student of St.Joseph’s school-also situated nearby, said that they are given mid-day meals and that she pays Rs.1500 per year.Her school has upto Class 12 for girls and class 10 for boys.

Durga Kanniappan ,her schoolmate and neighbour is unsure about studying beyond class 12.She felt that if she found a job soon,she would contribute to her five member family’s income.

Most of the youth have better access to education than their parents.Both daughters of T.V Sekar,an ex-official of the Panchayat Ward,for instance, are postgraduates.

Political affiliations and rain relief:

Political awareness in the area is slowly growing.While the womens SHGs are planning to choose a candidate for the next ward elections,the area is clearly demarcated based on supporters of Ettiappan and his detractors.This difference is more pronounced after the residents failed to received the rain relief grant of Rs.2000 and 10 kilos of rice as the Government had promised.

Ganesh,a driver blames the local leaders for letting the residents bear the brunt of their squabbles.He felt that since Ettiappan was not on good terms with the ruling party,the AIADMK,he had ignored their demands for relief. “He did not even come to see us once”,argued Sekhar,a mechanic.But Ettiappan remained unavailable for comment.

Conclusion:

While the recent rains have only exacerbated the lack of drainage and infrastructure, in the area, the more crucial problem here is that of people ignored by their leaders.

Some AIADMK supporters were quick to point out that M.C Munnusamy,Ettiappan’s main rival and opposition leader was able to co-ordinate better with his counterparts in the State Government.They claimed that Munnusamy provided drinking water thrice during the rains for free.The residents are fully aware that this will also affect their vote in the ward elections to be held next year.But they are certain that they will vote only for the leader who stands by them when they need him.

Another long-term question for these slum dwellers is of earning a stable livelihood and saving enough. Though they are not in danger of being evicted anytime soon , their effort at self improvement will need stronger support from their leaders.Till then, they will remain pawns of political tussles.