NAGAPATTINAM: Revathi Radhakrishnan can’t forget the flavour of a bitter yet refreshing cup of coffee she had in a local shop in Nagapattinam one fine afternoon 18 summers ago. It was in 2004 when Revathi, a former journalist and an associate director in feature films, had visited Nagapattinam for the first time with a group of volunteers to provide relief to those affected by the deadly tsunami. She was sipping her hot cuppa when an eight-year-old girl approached her with a four-month-old malnourished baby in her arms, asking for alms.
“I, along with my team, followed the girl Murugammal and learnt that she belonged to a nomadic tribe community called Adhiyan. We tried to provide that baby Lakshmi treatment to save her, however, she died,” says Revathi, who hails from Arakkonam near Chennai.
“I didn’t know about her community well but started learning more about them,” she shares, adding that the community was backward and did not have an identity or have proper livelihoods. “Many children from the community were involved in begging to meet their daily needs and when I read more about them, I pledged to stay near Nagapattinam and dedicate my life to them,” the 45-years-old says.
The Adhiyan tribals are traditionally known for their ‘Boom Boom Maadu’ (decorated bovines). The nomadic tribes take their bovines to peoples’ houses, tell fortunes and get money, food, and used items in return. The more she read about the community, the more she wanted to help them live in a stable and sustainable way. The only answer she could think of was to provide them with education.Months later, in 2005, Revathi set up a school and a trust ‘Vanavil’ (Rainbow) in a rented house in Nagapattinam for the children from Adhiyan and Narikuravar tribals.
As a lone teacher, she started admitting children like Murugammal to the school. However, she found it tough to manage initially. “I bought a few bicycles and offered them free rides as the children enjoyed riding them. I assured them to take them to the movies often. They worked and they agreed to attend school.And soon, more children willingly joined,” she smiles. Four years later, in 2009, Vanavil moved to a more established place leased by Wipro Foundation in Keezhakarairuppu.
Revathi’s husband Natarajan, a sculptor and an artist by profession, whom she married in 2009, became inspired by his wife and moved to Nagapattinam to volunteer in the school. He teaches art to the students in Vanavil. The school was a special training centre under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan with government grants till 2018. After 2018, the school became private but continued to offer free education for children belonging to nomadic tribes with the help of donations.
“At present, 80 tribal children are studying in the school and as many as 450 students have completed their education here. Murugammal finished her education and joined Vanavil as a teacher,” Revathi, the proud founder of Vanavil, says.
Revathi didn’t stop here. She continued her venture and found another task to be completed — getting an identity for the scheduled tribes. Without their scheduled tribe certificate, Adhiyan tribes were finding it hard to avail of education and employment under the reservation system.
Today, Revathi is leading the fight for them and is assisting them to get the certificates. R Mariappan, a representative from the Adhiyan community said, “Revathi’s contribution towards the upliftment of our community is immense. She has helped many of our children and women get recognition, respect, and decent livelihoods for over a decade.”
Through her trust, Revathi is still creating awareness against child marriage and children begging on the streets. After the children complete their schooling, Revathi guides and assists them in higher education. Vanavil Trust also offers skill development training for nomadic women and distributes milch cattle to tribals in villages.
After the Gaja Cyclone struck Nagapattinam district in 2018, Revathi connected with donors and provided relief materials and rehabilitation items to hundreds of affected people and also built houses for 10 most affected families near Thalaignayiru. She regrets not being able to save Lakshmi in 2004 but she feels content that she had a cup of coffee that day.