Tell us about your upbringing and experience ?
I was born in 1984, in Karaikal in the district of Pondichéry, but grew up in the small village of Kameswaram in Tamil Nadu (Southern India). My father was first a farm worker, but is now a carpenter. My mother worked in the fields until she married. I went to public school, then did a diploma in computer science at the Industrial Training Institute, where I was president of the students’ association. I then trained in psychology in Bangalore, and am currently studying sociology by distance learning, in parallel with my work at Ekta Parishad.
How did you become the activist you are today?
I belong to the Dalit community, which is considered outside the caste system ; I thus lived daily with the haughty arrogance that is reserved for Dalits. One day, when I was 13, another child called me by my first name because I was a Dalit. I felt humiliated and angry. Another important event: I went to a communist meeting to commemorate the night of 25 December 1968, where 40 dalits were burnt alive by high castes.
How did you discover Ekta Parishad ?
I have worked, since I was 14, in the school holidays. My first real job, for one year, was as psychological aide for Médecins sans Frontières, helping with children who were traumatized by the tsunami. I was 21 at the time. The following year, I joined Ekta Parishad, to work on a project of cooperation with a group of youths from the district of Nagapattinam. Even today, if I were offered another job I would refuse; I am fully committed to the ideals of Ekta Parishad.
I took part in the Janadesh March, and am very proud of this. For me, Janadesh is an illustration of the principle: “if you want to do something for society, be proud to be a Dalit, and to be part of this fight.”
How do you envisage your future and that of your country ?
I wish to focus my combat on the defense of the Dalits, with the notion of helping to transform society as a whole. For my country, I would like to see an end to corruption, and see that laws that exist on paper are actually applied, such as the right to land for Dalits.
Any words for our readers?
There should be no discrimination between our countries. We are all human and should all help others beyond our borders.
