Who is Arunthathiyar?

The target community Arunthathiyar (Chakkiliar) is one of the three main subgroups of Dalits
or SC (scheduled caste) in Tamilnadu, India. The other two subgroups are Paraiyar and Pallar.
Arunthathiyar Dalits are most oppressed among the Dalits. They live in miserable conditions,
working as bonded laborer, manual scavengers, cobblers (foot wear and shoe repair),
agricultural laborers, construction workers. Arunthathiyar are treated as untouchables not only
by the upper caste but also by the other dalit subgroups. Hence they are called Dalit among
Dalits. They are also beating drum during the upper caste families death ceremony for which
they are being paid only paddy or rice, and meager amount of money, they have to do the
digging of grave yard pits, and do all the formalities at the death of the caste men or women in
their villages out of their social strata in the caste hierarchy. Dominant upper caste people do
not allow Arunthathiyar Dalits to enter into village main temple for worship.

Socio Economic Situation of the Arunthathiyar community:

Arunthathiyar are forced to live in segregated colonies called as cherry (in rural areas) or slums
(in urban areas). They have separate water wells, and burial grounds. In rural areas, they are
not allowed to touch or draw water from public village wells, or public water pipes. They have
separate wells. In hotels and tea shops, they are discriminated and served in separate tumblers
(or glasses) and plates. These untouchability practices degrade shame and suppress their spirits
and fill them with feelings of inferiority, insult and humiliation. According to SC/ST Prevention
of Atrocities Act 1989, such untouchability practices are punishable offense. In spite of the legal
ban, the upper caste people continue to practice untouchability. When the Arunthathiyar Dalit
stand up for their rights and protest against the practice of untouchability, upper caste people
threaten and intimidate them with physical violence, and use caste based insulting comments
and degrading sexual remarks.

Bonded Labor: Because of poverty Arunthathiyar Dalit families have difficult to feed the family,
they get loans for high interest from the upper caste landlord/employer. With their minimum
low wages, every month they pay back their accumulating interest. Even after several years
they are never able to repay their principal loans. So the husband and wife and children go into
bonded labor and start working for low wages to get out of the debt.

Arunthathiyar dalit women work in agricultural farms, brick factories and blue stone quarry. In
their workplace; many women have to endure sexual harassment and abuse from the dominant
upper caste landlords and employers. Arunthathiyar women live in constant fear of sexual
violence.
Poverty: Only 10 % of Arunthathiyar population owns a small piece of land. Most of them are
landless laborers. They work as bonded laborer, temporary coolies for minimum low wages
in agricultural farms, stone quarries and brick industry. Few months every year they are jobless
and hence migrate to urban areas and other villages in search of jobs. Due to extreme poverty
they do into debts.

Alcoholism: It is a major social problem among both men and women. About 90% of
Arunthathiyar Dalit adults are addicted to alcohol. About 60% of their daily wages are spent on
consumption of alcohol, which leads to deterioration of health, negligence of child care and
continuation of poverty.

Girls marrying early: To escape from sexual abuse in workplace, many Arunthathiyar dalit
teenage girls are forced to marry at very young age of 13- 18 years. Due to lack of education
and health awareness, they get pregnant soon after marriage in very young age their health
often deteriorates very quickly because of repeated pregnancies at closer intervals.
Arunthathiyar girls are illiterate and unskilled, and the cycle of poverty continues into the next
generation.

Desertion: Desertion of wife is common and a customary practice among Arunthathiyar Dalit
men. After abandoning their wife, men are free to marry other women. But women would be
live alone. This results in many broken families and single mothers raising their children in
poverty.

Education: Only 1.75 % people of Arunthathiyar community are literates while 98.16% are
illiterates. Only 0.16% of the people have at least completed their 10th STD in school. Because
of the poor socio economic status of the community the children are very rarely sent to
elementary school. Even when they go, they drop out of school. Most of the children in the
rural areas work as bonded laborers in the agricultural farms of the upper caste. Children in the
urban areas work as temporary workers in restaurants / hotels, automobile mechanic shed, and
garages even with much difficulty if they complete 12 th Standard: they are unable to pursue
college education due to poor economical stability.

School dropout: Children are teased and taunted in schools and streets by other upper caste
children because their parents are performing low menial jobs such as scavenging and shoe
repair. The abusive remarks are hurtful and little children refuse to go to school. Sometimes due
to poverty and low socio economic status, the children are not sent to school or drop out of
school in middle school.