Class 9 student Deepika still remembers the distant afternoon when actor Suresh Gopi visited her tribal settlement and made exhortations against spurious liquor which is in Attappady, despite a two-decade-old undeclared prohibition. The visit was about three years ago and since then Deepika’s settlement, Gonchiyur, near Sholayur, in Attappady, has been known widely as ‘Suresh Gopi village.’ The actor declared on that occasion that he was adopting the tribal village.
‘MoS status’
“That was the only time he visited the settlement. We hoped that he would address our concerns on livelihood, health, and education. His elevation as chairman of the National Film Development Corporation has rekindled our hopes, since the new post is said to have the status of a Minister of State. He can thus influence the Centre and help address our concerns,” says K.A. Ramu, a Muduga tribal man who works with Thambu, a voluntary organisation.
It was during a visit to a nearby government high school at Sholayur three years ago that Mr. Gopi visited the settlement to warn the residents on the ill-effects of liquor. “People mistake the settlement for a village which adores Mr. Gopi for his punchy dialogues and stunts. Though he has done nothing for the village directly, the Santhi Medical Trust, a voluntary organisation, came to know of the village from him and started making interventions in the health and educational sectors. A dozen students from the settlement took the medical-engineering entrance examination this year because of this,” says P. Hariss, a teacher at the Sholayur school.
Transformation
“Gonchiyur was once known as a hub of illicit brewers. Many tribesmen from here were hired by mafia to brew hooch in the nearby forests. Their children worked as carriers of liquor to markets and towns for a pittance. The school dropout rate was high. Now the trend is changing. Maybe the actor’s words had an impact. He promised many things, including higher education for bright students at his own expense. The promised help is yet to arrive. But the people seem to have been inspired by him and the village is slowly being liberated from the clutches of illicit liquor,” he says.