TIRUCHY: As scores descended on Samayapuram in the district on Tuesday in view of the Chithirai festival of Mariamman temple, the womenfolk from the narikurava community at Devarayaneri, clad in yellow sarees, hurried themselves to sell bead trinkets to the visiting devotees.
Amid the festivities, election fever has also gripped the village along the Thanjavur highway, as festoons of party flags hang from the streets, house doors are stuck with posters of candidates and their poll symbol, and children take to making paper rockets out of the incessant pamphlets strewn across the road.
While the narikuravars have been known to pledge allegiance to the AIADMK owing to party founder MG Ramachandran’s focus on the tribal community in many a film, several of them appear to now have an inclination towards parties like the BJP and the DMK.
The BJP, due to the party-led Centre according Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the community last year; the DMK, owing to the development projects taken up in their locality by the local body led by the party. Samuel K, a community leader, said their houses were built during DMK leader MK Karunanidhi’s rule in the 1980s on patta land handed over by MGR.
“Before securing the ST status, we had to struggle for everything but now, all development projects immediately reach our doors. Sixty long years of struggle has enabled us to reach here now," he added.
R Manegha, a bead jewellery seller said, "When we venture out for work we are often sidelined. We are chased away if we sell beads in front of temples. Moreover, our children face discrimination and drop out of school. We also deserve to be respected."
S Manjula, who leads a self-help group, said, "Our lives had gotten better after the introduction of the free bus scheme and the provision of monthly honorarium. But we expect the government to give us loans to procure bead products at subsidised rate and allot shops at prime places in the district, including temples."
D Vijayakumar, secretary, Akila India Narikuravargal Paasi Mani Malai Kaivinnai Porul Munnetra Sangam, said, "Education and job opportunities are all we seek now along with protecting our self-respect. The government should pay special attention to giving our community compulsory education so that our children will land up in government jobs in the future."