It is easy to tell an oor from a cheri in any village in Tamil Nadu. A cheri, where Dalits traditionally live, is part of the village. Yet, it is so distinct from the oor of the upper castes. Roads that lead to the cheri are mostly not in good shape, and same is the case with the huts of Dalits.  

The cheri of Karattupalayam village in Erode district bears all signs of a typical cheri-bad roads and mud huts. For the 100-odd families of the Arunthathiyar community (the lowest in the Dalit hierarchy), who have survived as cobblers or bonded labourers, life swings between poverty and indignity.

The family of 23-year-old Karthik is one of the worst hit. When the roof of their mud hut collapsed on a rainy day, the family crumbled. "It was the only thing that held us together. When that collapsed, the family just scattered," recalled Karthik. His mother, Nallammal, who was seriously injured in the roof collapse, moved into the house of her sister-in-law Vijayalakshmi. His youngest brother, Prabhu, went to a government boarding school, where education is free. Karthik and his brother Satish did menial jobs for the upper castes, just what their father, Kittasamy, had been doing. "We had no option. I spent a good part of my life as a pannai adimai (bonded labourer) on a rich man's farm. I woke up at 6 a.m. to tend cattle. My work ended only at midnight. When I was in my teens, I escaped from the wretched life," said Karthik. He resents his parents for making him a bonded labourer.

The roof collapse came as a blessing in disguise for Kittasamy, who was overburdened with work. He soon went his way, deserting his family. But his flight to town brought him more indignity. "In town, you are reminded of your caste. Right from the tea shop to the street-corner where you sleep, people chase you away as if you were an evil spirit. You can even be born as a dog, but not a Dalit," he said bitterly.

Karthik ran away from the rich man's farm, wandered from one place to another, but hasn't landed a decent job. "I do any work I get. When I have nothing to do, I come back and do what Dalit labourers traditionally do-removing the husk from coconuts." Despite hardship he is happy to be part of the cheri. "I have no intentions of moving to town. I know I will be abused for everything, from drinking water to entering a temple," he said. "Deep down, I feel wretched, but what can be done?"

Human rights organisations say Dalits in Tamil Nadu suffer harassment in 47 forms, including the two-tumbler system in tea shops, denial of entry into temples, no-entry in streets where caste Hindus live and abuse of Dalit children. In many villages, they have no access to barber shops and government community centres.

Dalit panchayat presidents live in constant fear. Said R. Pazhaniyammal, president of the Nariyoothu panchayat in Theni district: "They elected me president, but they wont' allow me to sit in the president's chair." She was elected president because the post was reserved for scheduled castes. To this day, she cannot walk through the streets of the oor wearing slippers. Her husband is summoned by the caste Hindus to do menial jobs whenever there is a funeral.

On February 19, 2007, Servaaran, Dalit panchayat president of Marudankinaru in Tirunelveli district, was brutally killed when he ignored the warnings of vice-president Sumathi, a caste Hindu, and sat in the president's chair. Such grotesque incidents remain a blot on the freedom to live with dignity that the Indian Constitution promises all citizens.Said V. Kathir, director of the NGO Evidence: "We have identified 234 cases of Dalit harassment last year. But very little action has been taken in those cases."

Though untouchability has been abolished by law, it is practiced in various forms. Kathir said the number of cases filed under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act in Tamil Nadu is abysmally low.

On March 9, 2007, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued its concluding observations on India's compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The committee found that "de facto segregation of Dalits persists" and its report highlighted systematic abuse against Dalits, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and sexual violence. The Indian representatives' refusal to acknowledge the caste-based discrimination did not go down well with the committee.

The committee has given India a year to respond to four of its recommendations, including how the country can end widespread impunity for violence against Dalits.

Uneasy equality
Samathuvapuram (village of equality) in Oothiyur near Erode in Tamil Nadu is a picture of spatial independence. The 100 houses are spread across streets aesthetically named after legendary Tamil poets. Yet, the lives of those who live here are anything but poetic. The equality that the Samathuvapuram project promised remains elusive. "Dalits are Dalits everywhere," said Mary, a single mother. Her son Elangovan, who works in a garment factory in Tiruppur, chipped in: "If I have to talk to an upper caste, I have to maintain a distance. I cannot imagine talking to an upper caste girl. People are very watchful."

The government has established 150 Samathuvapurams, and has announced that 95 more would be constructed in 29 districts. When Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi launched the project in 1997, he visualised a village where Dalits would co-exist with people of other castes. Contrary to the vision of the project, many of its beneficiaries have given their houses on rent, as they couldn't put up with discrimination. THE WEEK found that more than 70 per cent of the houses had been rented out.

Dalits are still looked down upon in Samathuvapuram. Even at the common tap, Dalits face discrimination. "At the tap I would be asked to wait until the upper castes have finished fetching water," said Mary. Non-Dalits grudge that they have to use the same tap.

Kathirvel, a People's Union for Civil Liberties activist, says the government should monitor Samathuvapurams. "It is important that Samathuvapurams be monitored. The inherent caste feeling is something that just cannot be done away with by putting people together," he said. Karunanidhi once admitted that Samathuvapurams might not bring about a change in attitudes, but said it was a major step towards preventing caste and communal clashes. The grand and lofty ideals of Samathuvapuram might just go awry if the government does not intervene and set things right.
 
(Source: The Week, Aug. 17, 2008, http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?BV_ID=@@@&contentType=EDITORIAL&sectionName=TheWeek%20COVER%20STORY&programId=1073755753&contentId=4362215)