MADURAI: Ding! Almost all the bells of the typewriters in that room went off at once. The students at the typewriting class in Ramanathapuram were hunting and pecking at keys to keep up with the passage read aloud by the instructor, which turned the clacks of the machines into ambient noise. For a young S Namburajan, however, every ring of the bell was a rude awakening, after having recently witnessed the ill-treatment meted out to his instructor’s daughter, a girl with intellectual disabilities, by her own family members.
Eventually, the clacking ended. But several questions chased him throughout the 40-km train journey to his home in Pandi Kanmoi village of Paramakudi taluk. His conscience was troubled by wave after wave of questions, the very ones for which he had resolved to dedicate the rest of his life searching answers for.
For the last two decades, a 57-year-old Namburajan – now the state general secretary of Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently-Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) – has been an avid proponent for the empowerment of persons with disabilities (PwDs). The association’s efforts were integral to several measures taken by the state government, ranging from reservation in education and employment for the PwDs to the constitution of the Department for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons.
Though propelled by an avalanche of questions, a diligent Namburajan was unaware of the path he should pursue for tangible results. After completing class 12, he worked as a stenographer at a private firm and completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Madras University through distance education. Gradually, he engaged himself in various social activities, including blood donation drives and volunteer services. The pivot, however, was a one-year diploma he pursued in special education (intellectual disability), conducted by Bala Vihar, during the 1996-1997 academic year.
Upon course completion, he founded a free-of-cost day-care centre for children with intellectual disabilities at a house he was renting in Saidapet. The move landed him in a debt of Rs 40,000 in one year nevertheless, the delight of parents who had witnessed the improvements in children kept him motivated. In 2011, he founded Karunaii Trust, an NGO with a day-care centre for special children in Saidapet, with the objective of including special children in normal schools.
Namburajan shared with TNIE an incident that was an earlier achievement that benefitted the PwDs, a precursor of sorts to the establishment of the TARATDAC. Backed by The Hindu Group Director N Ram and former CPM legislator N Varadharajan, he organised a conference for the intellectually disabled on February 26, 2007, in which then chief minister the late M Karunanidhi took part.
“During the conference, we addressed the issues faced by PwDs in the society, within their families, and demanded the chief minister to provide them with monthly assistance. Within a week, the CM announced a scheme providing a monthly assistance of Rs 250 each to PwDs, by allocating Rs 25 crore in the budget, during an Assembly session held in March. The assistance is now raised up to Rs 2,000,” he said.
Alongside like-minded people, Namburajan organised a similar conference on February 6, 2010, wherein around 1,30,000 PwDs came together and joined as members of an association, giving birth to the TARATDAC, which now has a strength of 14 lakh members. The association drafted a charter of demands, including the need for a distinct legislative framework for PwDs and to streamline the process for obtaining disability certificates. Accepting the demands, the CM announced setting up a dedicated department for welfare of differently-abled and appointed S S Jawahar, IAS, as its founder secretary, he said, adding that the development proved to be a milestone in their efforts to secure broader rights for PwDs.
He said, “TARATDAC’s advocacy efforts never slowed down. We participated in the conference organised by the National Platform for the Rights of Disabled and appealed to the then prime minister Manmohan Singh to form a dedicated committee for PwDs. After our relentless protests and rallies, the UPSC allowed persons with visual disabilities to attempt the UPSC examination, which opened the doors for Beno Zephine and Poorna Sundari from TN to become IAS officers.”
Though India signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, he said the country only allocates a mere 0.025% in the budget for PwD welfare, demanding a 5% allocation. “An integrated school should be established in every district, where all PwDs can study. Unfortunately, the issue has not been discussed by the school education department. Even now, many PwD children in villages are denied education,” he said.
Though the PwD Act ensures equal opportunities, he said the reality is fraught with obstacles. For instance, the employment for PwDs under the MGNREGA was secured only after continued protests, despite their inclusion under the Act in 2013, he said.
“Advocating for the rights of PwDs is a collective effort. Everyone must understand PwDs’ rights and come forward to make efforts to ensure it. I believe education and employment assist PwDs to lead their life with dignity,” said Namburajan. Naturally, his response was a befitting answer to one of the questions that troubled his conscience as a student: Why does the society, including family, refuse to treat PwDs with the respect they deserve.
(Edited by Thamizhamudhan)