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| Article from Josiane RACINE |
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Josiane RACINE
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"In my days, school existed but my parents never thought it necessary to send me there.
They did not understand, they did not think of our future: life was on a day-to-day basis…
If they had given us an education, we would have earned more money, but they were ignorant.
As for us, we only had one son. I wanted him to study with all my heart.
I remember the Karani School well, I built it with Anjalai, Pakkiam, Kannima, Managatti…
We were young then. We laughed, we sang while making the whitewash, while carrying the bricks.
We worked until the building was finished. I hoped that one day I would put my son in that school - Anbin wasn't born yet -
And, after his birth, not telling anyone, I started saving to buy him new clothes and to change his red cord into a silver chain.
The first day he went to school, I gave him a new shirt and new shorts to wear and I gave him a tray of sweets to offer to the teacher.
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He was the Great Vattiar, he had just been appointed. Anbin stayed with him for three years, but then a new teacher came.
He used to beat up the children and many a time Anbin wanted to quit but every time I brought him back to school (…)
When my eldest daughter got married, no one could keep the small ones. So I had to take Anbin out of school;
he was the one who would take them out on his hip while I was at work. Anjalai also had young children.
She understood how sorry I was and offered to look after mine as well so that Anbin could go to school.
I gave her some rice in thanks. But after I had to stop working as well so that Anbin could continue his studies.
I made a lot of sacrifices to educate him, Sinnamma!"
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Source:
VIRAMMA, Josiane et Jean-Luc Racine: Une vie paria. Le rire des asservis. Inde du Sud. Collection Terre Humaine, Plon-UNESCO, Paris 1995, pages 244-245
(indian version : Viramma, Josiane Racine & Jean-Luc Racine: Viramma. Life of Dalit, Social Sciences Press, New Delhi, 2000
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