As people in India witness thousands of farmers protesting at Delhi’s Singhu or Tikri borders, farmers in South India are working in AlagarKovil village. These were once landless labourers who were suffering due to issues like different ailments and illiteracy.
They were victims of oppression. But thanks to inexplicable efforts of Chinna Pillai who is in her 70s but made it possible with sheer grit and gumption.
She may be illiterate but her achievement of transforming an entire village once made the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee touch her feet.
She is famously called as the Iron Lady who took away 1.2 million families out of poverty. Her hard work in last twenty years has garnered her many accolades.
She is one of the seven personalities in Tamil Nadu to be selected for the coveted Padma Shri award, declared on the eve of the 70th Republic Day.
A resident of Pullucheri, a small village in Mathur panchayat near Alagarkovil in Madurai, she also championed the cause of inculcating the habit of saving money among people, eating healthy food and educating disciplined children. It has also stopped more than 50 child marriages
Married at a young age and moving to a village where people are conservative, Chinna Pillai had two sons and three daughters to support, where she and her husband became a part of the population of landless labourers who were deeply submerged in debts of landlords and money-lenders.
The farmers here in this village could never question the law and order neither a lady like Chinna Pillai could think of opening her mouth to question the system where they were slapped interest rates to 300%..
Yet for this young bride, giving up her rights to a life of injustice was never acceptable.
“Letting someone else decide my future was never an option. So, I would request the landlord, politely but repeatedly, for better wages for my group. Some were annoyed by the nagging, but it was what we deserved, and so I fought on,” says Chinna Pillai.
Her unending efforts to take her community out of oppression in Pullucheri, has today transformed the village into a model of self-sufficiency. The village has its own banking system called Kalanjiam which is a microcredit movement, which has empowered hundreds of women and their families in the last three decades now.
“I started my job as a labour contract chief (kothu leader) of a group composed of women working in the field just like me. Being unorganised, there was no consolidated attempt to challenge what we deserve. However, by setting up a group, we not only exerted united pressure on the landlords, but also launched our own savings unit to protect our future.”
The road ahead was very challenging for Chinna Pillai because convincing the villagers and educating them was a daunting task. Her activities, which started in 1990, quickly attracted many activists to come up with more successful alternatives. Vasimalai, the head of the Dhan Foundation, came up with the concept of multiplying the tiny savings of these women into big profits that could support the society in a holistic way.
Chinna Pillai became the bridge between the two. She convinced her group of women to join, and thus together they opened PullukKalanjiam, short for ‘the Granary of Pullucheri.’
It all started with 15 women contributing Rs 20 a month. The accumulated sum was lent to every member of the party who wanted it most. And, in exchange, the participant will have to pay 60 per cent of the annual interest.
What may sound like a high rate was more of a blessing than the normal 300 per cent interest rate requested by landlords and money lenders.
The fire of reform was sparked and the Kalanjiam SHG (Self Support Group) started to lend as much as Rs 1000 a month in a matter of six months. Members have not only used the funds for emergencies, but also to start up to launch small businesses.
By 1998, the Kalanjiam Cooperative Movement had finally started, and the group leaders had promised to expand the idea of Kalanjiam Community Banking to far-flung regions of the world. As a result of their campaigns, after 29 years, they have expanded over 63 districts to 250 blocks in 13 counties, serving 60,000 SHGs, covering 1,2 million families.
Chinna Pillai has could not educate herself, but due to her sacrifices and efforts, her children and those in her society have been given an amount of money to be spent on their schooling.
“Education is the strongest tool of change, And I want the next generation to be well-equipped so that no one can take advantage of their confidence. Through the savings and education unit, I want every poor villager in India to come out of their distressed economy and lead a dignified life that they deserve.” says the 70-year-old leader.
Her robust and unwavering struggle for communities not only won her a place as a member of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) for more pro-poor initiatives, but also made her one of the five women to obtain Stree Shakti Puraskar in 1999.
In an iconic moment, overcome by her work, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee bent down to touch her legs with reverence when handing over the trophy.
She also recipient of the Janaki Devi Bajaj Puraskar Award in 2001, the Porkizhi Award in 2001, the prestigious Avvaiyar Award in the year 2018 from the TN Government, and most recently in 2019, the Padma Shri Award for her service to the country.
Yet it is not the numerous accolades that define her success.
“Those women who drive the movement further have given me a real reward,” says the hero, whose stellar example will help to inspire thousands more in the years to come.
(The writer is the founder of Powerful Teachers, an organisation working for senior citizens)
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