Sivagami, first Kaadar to pursue post-graduation, wants to help her tribe progress
Twenty-five-year-old Sivagami has many dreams. One of them is to help her community, which has for long been living in isolation and neglect.
Ms. Sivagami is pursuing her Masters in Social Work from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchi. She and three others are the first generation college students from the Kaadar tribe. However, Ms. Sivagami is the only one pursuing a post-graduation degree.
“It has not been easy at all,” she claims, recalling her childhood and the labour her parents had to put in to help her get ahead.
Daughter of 50-year-old Jaya and Veeran, both of whom work in the tea estate in Anaimudi, an hour’s walk from their hamlet in the Western Ghats, Ms. Sivagami owes it all to their passion and conviction that their daughter should get a better deal.
“Most women in our community have dropped out after class 5, mainly because there are no schools nearby and parents don’t want to send them far away. But when I expressed my desire to study, my mother understood it and has stood by me throughout,” says Ms. Sivagami.
“I used to live in a hostel run by members of a Christian missionary in Valparai and go to school from there. Going home everyday from school was almost impossible,” she says.
She received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Bharathiar University Arts and Science College in Valparai and did her teacher training. “I was told at the end of the training that I needed to pay ₹5,000 as fee, for which my parents had to take loans from usurious lenders. But they never complained,” she said.
With no money to study further, Ms. Sivagami stayed at home for a year. She was depressed and, at the same time, sought help to pursue her interests. “Luckily I met Christodas Gandhi, a retired IAS officer who visited us. I told him about my interests and he immediately agreed to sponsor my education,” she said.
Ms. Sivagami is currently in her final year, after which she wishes to move back to her village and work for the villagers’ welfare. “Also because I miss home, terribly. I cannot stay away any longer,” she said. “But I would work hard and ensure that my people get all the opportunities they deserve without having to leave their roots.”
This story was done as part of SAWM India – UNICEF Fellowship.
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