CHENNAI: To combat stigma against the SC community, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu on Wednesday directed Collectors to stop using ‘thandora’ for public announcements, and warned of action against violators. He said loudspeakers and vehicles can be used to make announcements in interior areas. “Science has developed. Technology has flourished. So there is no need to continue the practice of thandora,” read a handwritten letter from Anbu, in which Collectors were told to pass on the instructions to village panchayats.
Thandora is a traditional percussion instrument made of bamboo and cowhide. It’s an age-old practice to engage a thandora player to make important announcements. A few government departments, especially the revenue department, follow the system to alert people about floods and tax payments. But concerns have been raised since only members of the SC community are engaged to make thandora announcements.
Villupuram MP D Ravikumar welcomed the move. “This is a historical step, and will help eradicate the social stigma against the community. I have been raising demands for this in the Assembly and the public domain for more than 15 years,” Ravikumar said, and urged the CM to pass a government order (GO) on the matter.
Aranga Gunasekaran, president of Tamilaga Makkal Puratchi Kazhagam, said, “We welcome the move, but the government should say what penal action violators will face.
”Professor A Marx, president of the National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations, said the government should use technology to de-link certain other jobs from caste since many such practices are prevalent in villages.