CHENNAI: Breaking free from the clutches of exploitation, J Gopi (36) and his wife Sumathi (35), former bonded labourers hailing from Tiruvallur, are looking forward to exercising their franchise this Friday, after a gap of almost 15 years. This will be the first time they will be participating in the electoral process after they were rescued in 2020.
The couple, belonging to Irular community, got married even before reaching adulthood and their lives took a turn for the worse when they ventured out of their native village in Varathapuram in Poondi block of Tiruvallur in search of work.
They were entrapped with the promise of a job as tree cutters with a good pay, and were paid an advance of Rs 20,000 in 2014. However, soon they found themselves stuck in a loop of exploitation with a pay that barely meets their basic needs.
The couple along with their daughter were finally rescued in 2020 by revenue officials following a tip-off. After their rescue, Sumathi became a tailor by learning the skill from YouTube videos and Gopi started working in a government rice godown.
“I remember voting for the first time when I was in my hometown. However, soon after that, we had a fallout with our parents and moved out. Though two elections (local body polls and assembly election) had passed after our release, we couldn’t cast our votes as we were awaiting necessary documents,” said Gopi.
The couple said they would vote for the party that would help uplift the Irula tribal community. “We have been listening to some of the campaign speeches from other districts too,” they added. The couple currently lives in Ramapuram in Tiruvallur district.