It’s much more than just a haircut for Dalits in TN’s Mothakkal
A barber, on condition of anonymity, said he received threats from Vanniyars when word of his Dalit customers got out.
Published: 12th June 2023 07:30 AM | Last Updated: 12th June 2023 08:05
Express News Service
TIRUVANNAMALAI: A haircut is considered a form of expression. When social movements have erupted around the politics of strands on one hand, Dalits of Mothakkal in Tiruvannamalai district are denied their date with the village barber.
Of the estimated 5,000 residents in Mothakkal, there are 150 Dalit families. The locals on condition of anonymity told TNIE, that all four barbers in the village have been categorically ‘denied permission’ by upper caste residents to extend their services to the Dalits.
A barber, on condition of anonymity, said he received threats from Vanniyars when word of his Dalit customers got out. “I am from a nearby village. Initially, I provided my service to everyone, but a member of the Vanniyar community protested outside my shop after he got to know of my Dalit customer. He and his friends abused me. I can’t go against them since my livelihood is at stake,” he said.
“I cannot get a haircut in my village because I am not allowed inside barber shops. My teacher has been asking me to cut my hair. Even when I did manage to cut my hair, they found faults with my hairstyle and demanded that I shave it all off. Non-dalit students were never subjected to such treatment,” a student rued.
Apart from haircuts, the ideological expressions of students from the Dalit community are also curbed.
A teacher allegedly tore a photo of Dr B R Ambedkar from a student’s writing pad. It was repeated by a classmate from the Vanniyar community, who had replaced the photo with ‘agnikudam’. The headmaster of the school told TNIE, he said no photos of any ‘caste leader’ or actors are allowed.
If that was not enough, the abhorrent system of having separate tumblers for members of the upper caste and Dalits is still in place. The villagers claim that numerous petitions to collectors and SPs over the years have yielded no results.
Also, members of the dominant caste allegedly refused to enter the existing panchayat office because it is located in an area where the Dalits reside. It was constructed in 2003. Now, a new panchayat building is being constructed near the bus stand allegedly under pressure from the Vanniyars. Dalit residents said if space was the issue, then the existing office could have been expanded. Collector Murugesh and SP Karthikeyan said they would investigate the matter and take action.
‘Bias in govt scheme implementation’
There is bias in the implementation of government welfare measures also, the villagers alleged. Recently, free bicycles were distributed to students. While it was supposed to follow alphabetical order, Dalit students said it was the case and they received bicycles with defects. “I received a damaged bicycle. When I approached my teacher, there was no response,” said a student.
The scenario remains the same with the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme. Non-Dalit students allegedly openly display their disdain when Dalit students attend classes. “Whenever I sit next to an upper caste student, they act as if they cannot tolerate my presence and some even leave,” said a Dalit student. Students said, around 20 kids have dropped out of school recently due to discrimination. “I dropped out of Class 11 because of criticism of my hairstyle,” said one student.
In response to the allegations, former headmaster Elumalai, said, “The school functions in a fair manner and there is no discrimination against anyone.”
