For the two dozen-odd families at Vettilakkolli Adivasi Colony in Chaliyar panchayat, it was a dream come true situation when they got an iron trunk each on Saturday.
They had yearned for an iron trunk for long. And their desire turned into an earnest demand when the recent rains and floods devastated their houses, forcing them to shift to relief camps at Moolepadam near Nilambur. When the students of Amal College of Advanced Studies, Nilambur, visited the Adivasis at the camp soon after the floods, they were surprised at their demand. “We want nothing but a metal trunk,” the Adivasis had said. The students of Commerce Department reached the colony on Saturday with 26 iron trunks they procured from different parts of the State, and presented one to each Adivasi family.
Cheriya Palan, the moopan of the Kattupaniyan tribe, beamed as he took home his trunk with great enthusiasm. “This is what we need for keeping our dress and papers,” he said.
Necessity
Living in shanties with bare minimum facilities and no power supply or proper roads, the Vettilakkolli tribals find great utility in the iron trunks. They said shifting in emergency situations would be easy for them if they have a trunk.
Faculty members K.A. Dhanya and Abbas Vattoli said that the Adivasis had learned their lessons from the recent landslips and floods.
“That’s why the iron trunk has become a necessity for them,” they said. Special school teacher Kalyani, economics student from Palakkayam Adivasi colony Sunil, Amal College student coordinator Lishar joined their teachers for distribution of the trunks.
They also gave away sweets, snacks and toffees at the colony, providing a happy and memorable day for the tribal families.
Cheriya Palan and his wife Chakki expressed their gratitude to the students and teachers, who offered their support for construction of houses when they shift their colony to a new place allotted by the government.
