Death of a Healthcare Worker Exposes Dalit Struggles in Chennai's Kannagi Nagar

— ✍️ Shalin Maria Lawrence

I was going to write this on a happy note but right now I am writing with a deep burden in my heart.... It's been three years since we are helping the students from Kannagi Nagar for their college education. This year I wanted to sort it out, therefore I asked my community leader Veni at Kannagi Nagar to filter and send me names of children with single parents and children with no parents I thought there would be two or three max.

But Veni came up with around 12 names from one segment of Kannagi nagar, with single parents working as Sanitary workers and kids with no parents in the guardianship of grandmothers . I was shocked to see the long list . We also deep dived into the subject and found out that most husband's of single parent moms have died young because of alcoholism and risky work.

Also children with no parents too had somewhat similar situations where both parents died young because of their nature of work being mostly contract based menial jobs .

Finally I settled with 8 children that I could afford. 4 from government college and 4 going to private who are also first generation degree holders. These children have a really tough life at these Dalit re-settlements and without parents they end up being child labour and also being abused at a very young age . Most young kids also get addicted to alcohol and drugs which are easily available in the area,which government does not take any action on .

So it's important they are safe , protected,have mentors to guide them and money to study . Most importantly a family to emotionaly support them .

But unfortunately death of the Sanitary worker Varalakshmi due to gross state negligence reminds me that there is another pair of helpless children who have joined the most vulnerable list that I have mentioned above .

You see,this is not a individual problem as it may look from outside. A privileged eye will view it as a community's individual failure,but if you look at the pattern and connect today's event you can see this is a cumulative result of government apathy and oppression.

So before pointing at a community asnd saying "oh they should study well and get out of the reservation system", "oh they are rule breakers" etc just realise it's a social engineering imposed on the marginalised.

Will CM TamilNadu think about it ?

-The Author is an Intersectionality Activist and Constitutional values trainer.