Higher education no longer a distant dream for Irula youth: “Every single rupee we earn could be used for our education” – Tamil Nadu

Irula boy chases a dream from brick kilns to Anna University […]

Karal Marx L, The New Indian Express, 7 August 2017 | To read the full story, click here >>

An Irula tribe member, Thirumurthy is the first person from his community in the district to pursue engineering education. But things were quite different and difficult for him.

“Our family has been working in the brick kilns near Kancheepuram. My parents somehow managed to enrol us in schools. But pursuing higher education always seemed to be a distant dream,” Thirumurthy said. […]

Things would not have changed unless activists of Pazhangudi Irular Pathukappu Sangam (PIPS), an NGO working for the uplift of Irulas, came to know about the family’s plight.

“The activists of PIPS contacted Tindivanam Sub-Collector Dr Prabhushankar two months back and submitted a petition to issue me a community certificate, which helped me to pursue higher education,” Thirumurthy said, expressing his joy on getting admission in Anna University.  […]

To save money for [his elder brother] Thirumurthy’s education, Tamilarasan decided to join a government school in Alampoondi and continued working in brick kilns in spare time.

“Irulas belong to a sub-caste of Scheduled Tribes and are traditionally engaged in catching rats and snakes. Even in the villages, they stay at isolated corners as the villagers belonging to other castes restrict their entry,” Prabha Kalvimani told Express.

However, the main obstacle before Irulas is the difficulty in getting community certificate. Meanwhile, Thirumurthy is on a long walk, chasing his dream. For him, the four-year engineering course is just a beginning.

Source: Irula boy chases a dream from brick kilns to AU- The New Indian Express
Address: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2017/aug/07/irula-boy-chases-a-dream-from-brick-kilns-to-anna-university-1639453.html
Date Visited: Mon Aug 07 2017 10:41:24 GMT+0200 (CEST)

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