Dharmapuri

Chennai metro is on fast track. It is running against time to complete by next year. With the opening of another mode of public transport, the life of Chennaites is expected to be easier. Even now, public transportation is very nice in the city with city buses, share autos and share cabs lining up at every bus stop of the city. Though the basic outlook of the city has not changed yet, the IT revolution, like in many other cities, has taken Chennai by storm. So many magnificent glass houses have sprouted all over the city. But, LIC building on the Mount Road is still a tall building in Chennai and a cynosure of everyone's eyes. Inaugurated in 1959,  it was the tallest building in India that time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LIC_Building



The LIC building on Mount Road

Well dressed young men and women, sporting their identity cards around their necks is a common scene in the city. The hanging Id card predominantly displays the company  in which they work and it is a statement of their status and life style in the 21st century. They use their own vehicles as well as the public transport system so extensively.

It is very difficult to find men in their traditional dresses here now a days. A very small percentage of women are still clinging on to saris. People are by and large friendly and go about their own business usually. In my 15 years experience, I found Chennai safer than any other city in our country. People from every part of India live here peacefully, well, almost. Parry's corner the commercial hub of the city is the beehive of Hindi speaking businessmen. They speak fluent Tamizh and integrated to the main stream to a great extent.

But like any other Indian city, Chennai too is highly polluted. Dust is the major irritant here. Above that, we face water scarcity in many of the localities. Drinking water, for sure, Chennaites depend purely on packaged drinking water. Every household has to buy cans of water on a daily basis. One 20 litre can costs Rs 30. This water needs to be used for cooking as well as for drinking. Every brand of the so called packaged drinking water invariably carries the ISI mark.

The auto rickshaws never run on meter here. Even for a short run, they charge exhorbittantly. Thanks to the new initiative called "namma auto" in Chennai, there are a few auto rickshaws carrying the people on un-tampered meters. http://nammaauto.com/new/. Whatever be the plusses and minuses of this place, I love Chennai. I like to live in this city for ever

Chennai is the capital of Tamizhnadu. Tamizh is the language of this state. It is Tamizh Nadu and the ones who cannot pronounce the letter 'zha' call it Tamil Nadu. Tamizh is a purely Dravidian Language that is not influenced by Sanskrit. Contributions by so many great writers enriched the language to a classical level. Thirukkural is a treasure trove of knowledge. Umpteen number of social reformers, literary figures and great politicians lived in Tamizhnadu- Thiruvalluvar, Kamban, Raja Raja Chozhan, Anna Durai, MGR ...to name a few. Abdul Kalam is still living there
 

Everything looks so rosy there. Even a visit to the cities like Thiruchirapally, Coimbatore, Salem or Madurai also creats an impression that Tamizhnadu is a well developed state. That is not a misplaced impression anyway.  The living standard of the people has improved by leaps and bounds in the past years even though much is desired yet. There are remarkable improvements in industrial growth, employment availability, infant mortality, women's living conditions and general health scenario

Now, let us go to Dharmapuri. Dharmapuri is a place we come across if we go to Bangalore from Chennai by bus. If we travel by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation buses, we have to go to Dharmapuri bus stand. I never liked to go to that bus stand as it delays the journey. The bus takes a diversion from the four lane Bangalore- Chennai highway to go to Dharmapuri

 

Dharmapuri is not more than a crowded small town like any other Indian town. Like any other Indian citizens, here too people think along caste and religious lines. There are thousands of castes and sub castes in India. Although most of the people in our country hardly find proper food, shelter or cloth, all of us are very conscious about caste and religion. So, when a young dalit man married a supposedly upper caste young woman, it bacame a cause for violence in Dharmapuri

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tn-love-story-that-sparked-violence-has-tragic-ending/1137962/
 

It all started when the girl's father committed suicide over his daughter's action. His (false) prestige was at stake and he could never afford to loose it. This incident led to violence and his caste members attached and torched so many dalit houses in Dharmapuri. Still the man and woman lived together for a few months.

Just a month back, the girl suddenly decided to leave her husband and live with her mother. To top it all, she announced yesterday that she did not want to live with her husband anymore. Just the day after this announcement, her husband's dead body was found on the railway track. Curtains to an "amar prem" in a tragic and outrageous way.

 

This, once again proved, Indians can never think out of the caste box. It is shocking to hear that, caste based discrimination is existing in such ugly forms in a state like Tamizhnadu. This is a state that boasts of achieving giant strides in living standards and social conditions. Sadly, most of the people in Tamizhnadu, like in most part of the country, missed the bus to modernity.

When the US brought the resolution on human rights violations in Sri Lanka, entire Tamizhnadu erupted in unision to force India vote against Lanka. 

The chest beaters for Sri Lankan Tamizhans have started taking sides on caste lines in this love story. On the back drop, ignominious incidents of mideival forms of caste discrimination are being practiced in various parts of the state. Like separate tumblers in village tea shops in Coimbatore and Madurai, shocking incidents are popping out and are reported widely in the media so frequently. Nobody looks to be so perturbed about  presence of such evils in the society. In India, everyone's heart shrinks to the size of a mustard seed when it comes to caste and religious issues. Will there ever be any end to this?

There is no reason to be optimistic. In countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Sri Lanka, people are fighting each other with AK 47s, Missiles, Mortars, RDX and Grenades. Time is not far away for them start using neclear weapons. There also, castes and religions are the point of contention. Take heart, here in our country, we are not yet graduated to that level....