Their houses were built some sixty years ago when K. Kamaraj was the Chief Minister. Now, the people of the Oorali tribe at the village of Kaalidhimbam, in the Sathyamangalam hills, want news ones. The government says they can get it constructed under the Pasumai Veedu Thittam scheme — the State bears the Rs. 2 lakh required to build 300 square-feet houses — but there is a small catch. The villagers have been told the money will begin to come in once they start building the houses, but they want to know how they can afford the steel, sand and cement needed to begin construction.
R. Ranganathan, a 19-year-old first-time voter who works in a T-shirt manufacturing unit in Gobichettipalayam, gives a future-tense answer when asked who is likely to vote for. “ Yaaru nanmai seyyarangalo .” By this, he means that he will vote for whoever is going to make good on the promise of free housing, which is just one of the demands of the people in Kaalidhimbam.
The meaning of nanmai has changed in these parts, which themselves have changed after the death of the notorious bandit Veerappan. Today, there is a lot of development in these hills — one can even catch the sight of farmhouses with fancy names.
But when the brigand was roaming this region, the tribal people found themselves caught between his threats and those of the Special Task Force, who believed that the villagers would lead them to Veerappan if coerced enough.
Those days, nanmai simply refers to someone who helped these villagers survive, someone who could intervene on their behalf. “A lot of those who helped us belonged to the Communist parties,” says B.L. Jeevabharathi, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Tribal People’s Association’s branch in Erode. Today, his outfit helps tribal people in various ways. This appears to explain why the last time the people in these parts voted for the AIADMK, which was in an alliance with the CPI. It’s likely to be different this time. “Earlier, our people used to vote for whoever gave them money and vetti/selai [dhoti/sari],” Jeevabharathi says. “But they have become smart now. They will accept freebies, but they are very clear about who they are going to vote for.”
His thoughts are echoed in faraway Uganiyam, which lies in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. B. Periyasami, who ploughs others’ lands with his tractor, says with certainty that it’s going to be a new government this time. And his bet is on Vijayakant. Again, this has less to do with the DMDK leader than the fact that he’s allied with the Communist parties.
K. Ramar lives in a village that bears his name: Ramar Anai. A red flag flies at the entrance to the village. A lot of work has been happening at Ramar Anai.
The 1.5-km path that forks off the road from Thalavadi to Dhimbam and leads to the village has just been laid. Fifteen houses are being built under the auspices of the Indira Awaas Yojana, which was instituted to provide housing for the rural poor. All of this, Ramar says, is due to the efforts of CPI MLA P.L. Sundaram.
Ramar grimaces when he hears J. Marai, a resident of Kotagiri who is visiting her sister at Ramar Anai, get emotional about the election. Marai refers to the free rice, free saris and the pension she gets from the government, and says: “ Kanji ootharanga. Avangalukku dhaane vote podanum? [Amma feeds us. How can we vote for anyone else?]”
On hearing this, Ramar, the village elder, says he will need to have a serious talk with everyone. “They think only in terms of arisi , paruppu [rice and lentils]. They don’t think about the future.”
