KASARAGOD: Gandhinagar in Mogral, Kasaragod, has been in the spotlight ever since K Radhakrishnan, before resigning as the SC/ST Welfare Minister on June 18, issued the order abolishing the use of term “colonies” for places inhabited by members from Scheduled Castes (SC) communities.
The move received immense appreciation and praise, with political, social, and cultural leaders saying it would help raise the social status of the SC community.
Residents of Kadappuram SC Colony, who had renamed their locality as Gandhinagar several years ago, much before the government order, also applauded the decision that recognised the name that they had chosen for their locality.
“The place has been known as Gandhinagar for as long as I can remember. There are other SC settlements nearby, and people refer to them as colonies; except this one,” said Vijayakumar M, 57, a Gandhinagar resident.
Gandhinagar is home to 20 families. Many people leave for other places in search of jobs and come back during festivals.
Ramesh Gandhinagar, 48, a resident for the past 40 years, said people belonging to the Mundala caste, from Karnataka, live in Gandhinagar.
“We are recognised as residents of Gandhinagar. None refers to the place as an SC colony. People from different communities come for festivals in the temple here,” Ramesh said.
Radhakrishnan resigned as minister after having won the Lok Sabha election from the Alathur constituency.
