Sometime back I was in Tamil Nadu on the trail of water thieves- pani chors as they known in North India. The visit to Kaladera, Rajasthan and Plachimada, Kerala (in here they are referred to as kolayali cola) few years back was send across to Crude Woman who dutifully communicated it to others- small pat for her. The copy of which is posted in Link: My blog ( www.sdepalan.blogspot.com). On my recent tour to Tamil Nadu I visited two sites of crime:
At Padathur in Shivganga District, Tamil Nadu :
Padathur is small village around 10Kms from the Shivganga district HQs, it is also an hour and half’s drive in Bus from the famous temple town Madurai. Padathur is a quiet little hamlet with some very poor people; there are bricked as well as thatched houses. The place is known for a sugar factory- Sakthi Sugar Mills. The village has a small temple
at its entrance with a penchant for bells….it is possible that Gods here favor th
e offerings of bells or is it that people have decided among themselves that Gods are pleased with offering of bells?. There sure must be an interesting story here. As it was mid noon, quite hot and sultry I didn’t really find any one around (except one who was sleeping under the tree, there were also some shops near by) to ask these, further I had got this infection -conjunctivitis and my eyes were burning so I didn’t want to spend too much time here. Puduthur is a very unlikely place for any action. Sakthi Sugar Mill is 3kms interior and decided to walk the distance- as public transport are
once in an hour, every few minute sugarcane laden truck headed towards the Mill. Later I happen to interact with a farmer who had come to sell his truck load of sugarcane- he treated me to a tea and dry peas ‘because I was the guest he the host’ he said. He refused to be photographed. He mentioned that sugar was sold to mill at the rate of 1050Rs per ton. That’s like one Rupee a Kg!!. Which I thought was less. But he was quite satisfied with the price “a good quality cane will weigh a Kg…one rupee is not much but ok” he clarified. I also congratulated myself for managing a conversation in Tamil, a language I was speaking after quite a long time. The road to the mill was well tarred for an impoverished village, clearly it was meant for the mill. The main occupation of the people seems to be collecting water -the act
ivity people engaged in, even in the hot sun. People had to walk a distance to collect water as you can see from the snaps. Although the land is basically arid and dry, one spot on the way was green and cultivating sugarcane- a crop one knows is a water intensive. This was peculiar and I saw hose supplying enough water and some villagers crowding to collect water. This inequity is not surprising since Tamil Nadu despite its Dravidian upheaval, Justice movements in early last century has remained quite a feudal society and sometimes violent
ly casteist. Tamilians as I see are one of the most hardworking people but mostly exploited. These are the kinds of place where Cocacola-Pepsi can easily tighten their strangle. In recent times there has been attempt by Cocacola-Pepsi to not be seen as exploiter the reason why they outsourced the sucking of ground water to Sakthi mills. There was a huge offer to Sakthi mills. I spend sometime interacting with the lady who runs a tea shop opposite the mill. She has been running it for last 19 years (or was it 29 years?) from the time the mill had start
ed. The property around her has been bought by the mill, they offered her some money to vacate but she refused. One of her conditions was that her son should be given permanent job at the mill. She earns around 1000Rs per month from the shop which she is better than what casual labours are paid in the mill -around 65Rs for men and 55Rs for women, for a day of backbreaking work.
The Cocacola-Pepsi outsourced water sucking for a month or so (as a trial run) at the rate of 75,000litres a day, but by then people became aware of the mischief. The villagers went on dharna and peace marches, most of the people of village participated, in particular the school
children. Unlike at Plachimada in Kerala where the simmering resentment among the local people manifested itself as an angry protest only three years after the bottling plant began operations, the agitation here was a in a way pre-emptive one. It was alleged that the unit had plans to dig borewells up to a depth of 3,000 feet (900 metres) on the Vaigai riverbed, besides using the unutilised part of the quantum of water permitted (49 lakh litres a day) specifically for industrial use by the sugar mill. The plans would have affected the water supply to Sivaganga, Manamadurai and Thiruppuvanam towns and about 80 villages covered by the Comprehensive Drinking Water Supply Scheme, the requirements of which are now met by water from the Vaigai riverbed. The scheme covers more than 3.5 lakh people. Exposed to acute drought conditions for several years, the people of the district, particularly in the villages, have had little access to water. Finally the Cocacola-Pepsi had to pack their bag and run. A case of successful campaign by the villagers.
At Gangaikondan in Thirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu:
Thirunelveli is a district located in south of Tamil Nadu state not far from western ghat mountain range. Tamiraparani is the river which flows through the region. Gangaikondan is around half an hour from Thirunelveli District HQ. As I got down from the bus at Gangaikondan the first thing which struck me was the place had a very plane surface with shrubs- very few trees or plants, found only in patches. This is Mars!!. I was told that Coca cola plant was located 4km inside. It is interesting since the Cocacola-Pepsi had made sure that their name is nowhere in the scene and have outsourced the sucking b
usiness to very tame sounding South India Bottling Company Ltd (SIBCL, almost a Public sector !! So cute). This funny statement of J. Ramamoorthy, SIBCL's executive director, I came across "We're not Coca-Cola. We're a franchisee. It is totally South Indian owned, and we're bringing in the money. Coca-Cola will merely provide the technology,". Wow. But the people when I asked about where this Company-SIBCL, was located showed ignorance only when I referred coca cola did they recognize!!. Since Cocacola-Pepsi was located in uninhabited surrounding (see in the photos the white spot as you approach that is Coke Pepsi factory!!!) I decided to take an Auto. As you approach the plant you cannot but think it as some alien spaceship!!. I read in a website about how people in this
region stumble upon Coke factory, it is quite funny. "I literally stumbled upon the construction when I went looking for my cows," says S. Elosius, a resident of Thuraiyoor. "Here's a company set a kilometer off the road. Even when it's fully constructed, people can't see it," he says. "How can it be that it is the area's largest investment, and I come to know of it only by accident two months after construction has begun?". Local residents and public interest organizations say there is undue secrecy surrounding the project. Dr. R. Murugesan, a professor and district vice president of the Tamil Nadu Science Forum, has strong words about government agencies. "It is not possible to find out anything relevant about the project beyond what little information the company has made available. The Pollution Control Board and t
he District Collector are against public interest. The Collector claims he knows nothing. But we hear that heavyweights in 
the ruling party are backing the project," he says (statements taken from the Net). The little information I could gather was that the unit covers an area of around 32 acres inside the SIPCOT complex, spread over an area of 2,500 acres in Gangaikondan. The lease period for companies coming up in the complex is 99 years. SIPCOT can draw upto 45 lakh litres per day . The coke unit alone willget 5 lakh litres everyday (there is however confusion regarding this with contradictory claims). The water will be drawn from theTamiraparani river in Seevalaperi, some 14 km from the site. There is something more to it, as I was going through the web sites a pattern I was quite familiar with emerged. The plant is in a depression in an area fed by the Semboothu springs. Groundwater quality in the area is excellent. Parameters such as chloride and hardness are well within permissible levels. If groundwater is used for bottling, purification costs would be very low. Further there only two other industries located on this industrial estate all 2,000 acres of it are empty otherwise!!!.
The reason why the industrial estate is empty is in the socio-historical nature of the place. These information I found in the Net: Residents of the Manur Panchayat Union, within which Gangaikondan village falls, are predominantly Pallars, a Dalit (former untouchable) caste. The Dalit uprising of the 1990s saw scores settled for centuries-old oppression - primarily with the upper caste Thevars. P. Kirupairaj, a member of Puthiya Thamizhagam - a Dalit political party led by Dr. K. Krishnaswamy - explains the dilemma that Pallar residents face. "The reason why some people support the project is probably because it's been 15 years since SIPCOT started and there have been no takers. Some people feel that this area is being neglected because we're Pallars, and that it is unwise to oppose the first company that comes here. People feel that resistance is futile; that all this is fated and that we don't really have a choice." Kirupairaj however is quick to point out the fallacy in the belief that locals really don't have a choice. "We have won significant victories in our struggle against discrimination. It is known that when we (Pallars) set our minds on something, we persist till we win. We have to make our people aware of the potential benefits and the dangers. Even now, we're not opposing all projects. Only projects like Coca-Cola that pose a threat to our water resources," he says. Quite remarkable these statements considering the socio-economical conditions in which they live.
Lets now look at the events folded since the Cocacola-Pepsi landed here. When Coke first approached Gangaikondan Panchayat President Kamsan for approval, he granted it (don’t be shocked by the name, anti-brahmanical names are very popular in Tamil nadu). He said he had granted permission as the company had all the necessary government approvals. He had not seen the allotted plot or read any of the material that the South India Bottling Company Limited had given him. When the local resistance to the company gathered momentum, Kamsan cancelled the permission given to the South India Bottling Company Limited and also passed a resolution in the panchayat to that effect. Later that day, he passed another resolution giving the South India Bottling Company Limited permission again!!!!. When local reporters grilled him, he alleged thathad powerful people had threatened him over the telephone. Within few days of this incidence Kamsan died in suspicious circumstances. Most of the people whom I interacted are very clear on who killed Kamsan: ‘’it’s the people at the Coca cola’’. Offcourse this will never be proved, they have enough money and clout.
On Republic Day this year, gram sabha meetings -- which all villagers attend, as opposed to panchayat meetings, in which just the ward members and the panchayat president are present -- were held all over Tamil Nadu. At the Gangaikondan Gram Sabha meeting, a resolution was passed to cancel the license given to the South India Bottling Company Limited plant. The Manur Block Union -- which includes the Gangaikondan Panchayat -- was convened under heavy police cover. It approved the license given to the plant. Thus, the gram sabha verdict stood nullified. So although majority of people were against coke the Block Union which involves fewer people passed the resolution, quite democratically one must add. The apprehensions of the people did find echo in here too. "We don't know the full details of the project. This is the first big investment in our region. We can't reject the first investment that comes our way. We need the jobs," says A. Rajesh Babu, an elected councilor in Manur Panchayat union (from the Net). A section of local residents, particularly elected members of local governments have extended their support to the company. They argue that the company will bring much-needed jobs and boost the local economy. Company spokespersons go one step further to say that if the company runs into trouble here, other investors will refuse to set up in Gangaikondan. Ironically, the veiled threat of economic "untouchability" or a flight of capitalists comes less than a decade after Gangaikondan and nearby villages witnessed a three-year spate of bloody caste violence in the mid-1990s to end the practice of untouchability. Gangaikondan's fear of becoming "economically untouchable" seems to be one of several issues clouding what may be genuine concerns about the impact of a project that extensively uses local water resources (from the Net).
However in last year or so protests by locals have gathered momentum. Many local residents, political parties and environmentalists have raised concerns that the water-intensive plant will deplete and contaminate groundwater, and draw from Tamiraparani river that cannot fully meet even drinking water and agricultural needs of local communities. Local farmers are angry at even that amount of water being taken away from them. Various political parties as well as a broad range of groups, such as the South Tamilnadu Merchants Association and the Tamilnadu Government Employees Association participated in a rally, indicative of the growing discontent over Coca-Cola's operations in India. Interestingly a delegation from Gangaikondan visited Plachimada in early August 2005.
The argument of those opposing the project, like other places I visited, has to do with the fact that drinking water and agricultural requirements are not currently being met by the water allocations from Tamiraparani River. "Charity begins at home," says S. Sunderaraja Perumal, president of the District Congress Committee Tirunelveli (Urban). "Within the Tirunelveli corporation limit, there are four to five places where people take to the streets because they get no water or insufficient water. They are all Scheduled Caste (Dalit) people, some of whom live within 30 meters of the river. How can you take water for Coca-Cola when you haven't even provided drinking water to your population?" the Congress leader questions (taken from the Net). Perumal says he is not opposed to drawing Tamiraparani water for drinking purposes. "They're taking water for drinking water needs in Kovilpatti, Sankaran Koil. We're not opposed to that. But water cannot be put on sale to a company that uses water as the raw material and sells water as a product. 500,000 liters of water can comfortably take care of the water needs of 5000 people within Tirunelveli town," he says. R. Krishnan, a member of the Communist Party (Marxist) and former member of the state legislature, echoes Perumal's sentiment: "The difference is that this company is treating water as a raw material and selling it. That is wrong. SIPCOT's 4.5 million liter requirement is for the basic needs of industries that will come up in the industrial estate. Earmarking 10 percent of the total water intake for one company that occupies just 31 acres of a 2000-acre industrial estate is ridiculous." (taken from the Net).
While r
eturning I had a cup of tea at a shop opposite the industrial estate. He was busy as a group of people had just ordered tea. What he manage to say was “people are against Coca Cola”. On the bus an elderly man smiled from the crowd. He was around 55 to 60 years and not wearing much cloth, a torn blue banyan, chek mundu and a plastic bag. He had a sturdy short body and a great smile. “ oongalle standill patha chu……(translate) I saw you at the auto rickshaw stand. You wanted to go to coca cola?.....did you go?” he asked. I nodded.
“I used to work at coca cola….”.
“Why you left the job” I asked.
“They gave only 70Rs per day now I work at a place where I get 100Rs and much less work” was his reply.
This is surely a statement on claims of employment generation by Cocacola-Pepsi (we know how bogus it is…meant to divide people). Further what is the cost of natural resources they steal??. While getting down the man informed with an endearing smile that his name was Kasumuthu (money boy literally!!) and I could call him for any job I needed him for. I wanted to take his photograph but it was too crowded and secondly I rarely take photos of the people on their face. I am very uncomfortable about it….it feels like objectifying people. While they speak I surreptitiously take out camera and click, almost an apology!!. They see it and laugh. I guess mobile phone cams are least intrusive, I am thinking of saving some money and buying one!!. Coming back to Kasumuthu he reminded me of Nanook of North!! (the legendary Robert Flaherty’s classic silent movie of 1922). The only difference being that he lives in surroundings where technological benefits are available unlike Nanook . But his life is still as tough as Nanook of North. Kasumuthu is Nanook of South!! At 60 odd age that is a real wrenching life. Thande ka thadka.
At Padathur in Shivganga District, Tamil Nadu :
Padathur is small village around 10Kms from the Shivganga district HQs, it is also an hour and half’s drive in Bus from the famous temple town Madurai. Padathur is a quiet little hamlet with some very poor people; there are bricked as well as thatched houses. The place is known for a sugar factory- Sakthi Sugar Mills. The village has a small temple
at its entrance with a penchant for bells….it is possible that Gods here favor th
e offerings of bells or is it that people have decided among themselves that Gods are pleased with offering of bells?. There sure must be an interesting story here. As it was mid noon, quite hot and sultry I didn’t really find any one around (except one who was sleeping under the tree, there were also some shops near by) to ask these, further I had got this infection -conjunctivitis and my eyes were burning so I didn’t want to spend too much time here. Puduthur is a very unlikely place for any action. Sakthi Sugar Mill is 3kms interior and decided to walk the distance- as public transport are
once in an hour, every few minute sugarcane laden truck headed towards the Mill. Later I happen to interact with a farmer who had come to sell his truck load of sugarcane- he treated me to a tea and dry peas ‘because I was the guest he the host’ he said. He refused to be photographed. He mentioned that sugar was sold to mill at the rate of 1050Rs per ton. That’s like one Rupee a Kg!!. Which I thought was less. But he was quite satisfied with the price “a good quality cane will weigh a Kg…one rupee is not much but ok” he clarified. I also congratulated myself for managing a conversation in Tamil, a language I was speaking after quite a long time. The road to the mill was well tarred for an impoverished village, clearly it was meant for the mill. The main occupation of the people seems to be collecting water -the act
ivity people engaged in, even in the hot sun. People had to walk a distance to collect water as you can see from the snaps. Although the land is basically arid and dry, one spot on the way was green and cultivating sugarcane- a crop one knows is a water intensive. This was peculiar and I saw hose supplying enough water and some villagers crowding to collect water. This inequity is not surprising since Tamil Nadu despite its Dravidian upheaval, Justice movements in early last century has remained quite a feudal society and sometimes violent
ly casteist. Tamilians as I see are one of the most hardworking people but mostly exploited. These are the kinds of place where Cocacola-Pepsi can easily tighten their strangle. In recent times there has been attempt by Cocacola-Pepsi to not be seen as exploiter the reason why they outsourced the sucking of ground water to Sakthi mills. There was a huge offer to Sakthi mills. I spend sometime interacting with the lady who runs a tea shop opposite the mill. She has been running it for last 19 years (or was it 29 years?) from the time the mill had start
ed. The property around her has been bought by the mill, they offered her some money to vacate but she refused. One of her conditions was that her son should be given permanent job at the mill. She earns around 1000Rs per month from the shop which she is better than what casual labours are paid in the mill -around 65Rs for men and 55Rs for women, for a day of backbreaking work.The Cocacola-Pepsi outsourced water sucking for a month or so (as a trial run) at the rate of 75,000litres a day, but by then people became aware of the mischief. The villagers went on dharna and peace marches, most of the people of village participated, in particular the school
children. Unlike at Plachimada in Kerala where the simmering resentment among the local people manifested itself as an angry protest only three years after the bottling plant began operations, the agitation here was a in a way pre-emptive one. It was alleged that the unit had plans to dig borewells up to a depth of 3,000 feet (900 metres) on the Vaigai riverbed, besides using the unutilised part of the quantum of water permitted (49 lakh litres a day) specifically for industrial use by the sugar mill. The plans would have affected the water supply to Sivaganga, Manamadurai and Thiruppuvanam towns and about 80 villages covered by the Comprehensive Drinking Water Supply Scheme, the requirements of which are now met by water from the Vaigai riverbed. The scheme covers more than 3.5 lakh people. Exposed to acute drought conditions for several years, the people of the district, particularly in the villages, have had little access to water. Finally the Cocacola-Pepsi had to pack their bag and run. A case of successful campaign by the villagers.At Gangaikondan in Thirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu:
Thirunelveli is a district located in south of Tamil Nadu state not far from western ghat mountain range. Tamiraparani is the river which flows through the region. Gangaikondan is around half an hour from Thirunelveli District HQ. As I got down from the bus at Gangaikondan the first thing which struck me was the place had a very plane surface with shrubs- very few trees or plants, found only in patches. This is Mars!!. I was told that Coca cola plant was located 4km inside. It is interesting since the Cocacola-Pepsi had made sure that their name is nowhere in the scene and have outsourced the sucking b
usiness to very tame sounding South India Bottling Company Ltd (SIBCL, almost a Public sector !! So cute). This funny statement of J. Ramamoorthy, SIBCL's executive director, I came across "We're not Coca-Cola. We're a franchisee. It is totally South Indian owned, and we're bringing in the money. Coca-Cola will merely provide the technology,". Wow. But the people when I asked about where this Company-SIBCL, was located showed ignorance only when I referred coca cola did they recognize!!. Since Cocacola-Pepsi was located in uninhabited surrounding (see in the photos the white spot as you approach that is Coke Pepsi factory!!!) I decided to take an Auto. As you approach the plant you cannot but think it as some alien spaceship!!. I read in a website about how people in this
region stumble upon Coke factory, it is quite funny. "I literally stumbled upon the construction when I went looking for my cows," says S. Elosius, a resident of Thuraiyoor. "Here's a company set a kilometer off the road. Even when it's fully constructed, people can't see it," he says. "How can it be that it is the area's largest investment, and I come to know of it only by accident two months after construction has begun?". Local residents and public interest organizations say there is undue secrecy surrounding the project. Dr. R. Murugesan, a professor and district vice president of the Tamil Nadu Science Forum, has strong words about government agencies. "It is not possible to find out anything relevant about the project beyond what little information the company has made available. The Pollution Control Board and t
he District Collector are against public interest. The Collector claims he knows nothing. But we hear that heavyweights in 
the ruling party are backing the project," he says (statements taken from the Net). The little information I could gather was that the unit covers an area of around 32 acres inside the SIPCOT complex, spread over an area of 2,500 acres in Gangaikondan. The lease period for companies coming up in the complex is 99 years. SIPCOT can draw upto 45 lakh litres per day . The coke unit alone willget 5 lakh litres everyday (there is however confusion regarding this with contradictory claims). The water will be drawn from theTamiraparani river in Seevalaperi, some 14 km from the site. There is something more to it, as I was going through the web sites a pattern I was quite familiar with emerged. The plant is in a depression in an area fed by the Semboothu springs. Groundwater quality in the area is excellent. Parameters such as chloride and hardness are well within permissible levels. If groundwater is used for bottling, purification costs would be very low. Further there only two other industries located on this industrial estate all 2,000 acres of it are empty otherwise!!!.The reason why the industrial estate is empty is in the socio-historical nature of the place. These information I found in the Net: Residents of the Manur Panchayat Union, within which Gangaikondan village falls, are predominantly Pallars, a Dalit (former untouchable) caste. The Dalit uprising of the 1990s saw scores settled for centuries-old oppression - primarily with the upper caste Thevars. P. Kirupairaj, a member of Puthiya Thamizhagam - a Dalit political party led by Dr. K. Krishnaswamy - explains the dilemma that Pallar residents face. "The reason why some people support the project is probably because it's been 15 years since SIPCOT started and there have been no takers. Some people feel that this area is being neglected because we're Pallars, and that it is unwise to oppose the first company that comes here. People feel that resistance is futile; that all this is fated and that we don't really have a choice." Kirupairaj however is quick to point out the fallacy in the belief that locals really don't have a choice. "We have won significant victories in our struggle against discrimination. It is known that when we (Pallars) set our minds on something, we persist till we win. We have to make our people aware of the potential benefits and the dangers. Even now, we're not opposing all projects. Only projects like Coca-Cola that pose a threat to our water resources," he says. Quite remarkable these statements considering the socio-economical conditions in which they live.
Lets now look at the events folded since the Cocacola-Pepsi landed here. When Coke first approached Gangaikondan Panchayat President Kamsan for approval, he granted it (don’t be shocked by the name, anti-brahmanical names are very popular in Tamil nadu). He said he had granted permission as the company had all the necessary government approvals. He had not seen the allotted plot or read any of the material that the South India Bottling Company Limited had given him. When the local resistance to the company gathered momentum, Kamsan cancelled the permission given to the South India Bottling Company Limited and also passed a resolution in the panchayat to that effect. Later that day, he passed another resolution giving the South India Bottling Company Limited permission again!!!!. When local reporters grilled him, he alleged thathad powerful people had threatened him over the telephone. Within few days of this incidence Kamsan died in suspicious circumstances. Most of the people whom I interacted are very clear on who killed Kamsan: ‘’it’s the people at the Coca cola’’. Offcourse this will never be proved, they have enough money and clout.
On Republic Day this year, gram sabha meetings -- which all villagers attend, as opposed to panchayat meetings, in which just the ward members and the panchayat president are present -- were held all over Tamil Nadu. At the Gangaikondan Gram Sabha meeting, a resolution was passed to cancel the license given to the South India Bottling Company Limited plant. The Manur Block Union -- which includes the Gangaikondan Panchayat -- was convened under heavy police cover. It approved the license given to the plant. Thus, the gram sabha verdict stood nullified. So although majority of people were against coke the Block Union which involves fewer people passed the resolution, quite democratically one must add. The apprehensions of the people did find echo in here too. "We don't know the full details of the project. This is the first big investment in our region. We can't reject the first investment that comes our way. We need the jobs," says A. Rajesh Babu, an elected councilor in Manur Panchayat union (from the Net). A section of local residents, particularly elected members of local governments have extended their support to the company. They argue that the company will bring much-needed jobs and boost the local economy. Company spokespersons go one step further to say that if the company runs into trouble here, other investors will refuse to set up in Gangaikondan. Ironically, the veiled threat of economic "untouchability" or a flight of capitalists comes less than a decade after Gangaikondan and nearby villages witnessed a three-year spate of bloody caste violence in the mid-1990s to end the practice of untouchability. Gangaikondan's fear of becoming "economically untouchable" seems to be one of several issues clouding what may be genuine concerns about the impact of a project that extensively uses local water resources (from the Net).
However in last year or so protests by locals have gathered momentum. Many local residents, political parties and environmentalists have raised concerns that the water-intensive plant will deplete and contaminate groundwater, and draw from Tamiraparani river that cannot fully meet even drinking water and agricultural needs of local communities. Local farmers are angry at even that amount of water being taken away from them. Various political parties as well as a broad range of groups, such as the South Tamilnadu Merchants Association and the Tamilnadu Government Employees Association participated in a rally, indicative of the growing discontent over Coca-Cola's operations in India. Interestingly a delegation from Gangaikondan visited Plachimada in early August 2005.
The argument of those opposing the project, like other places I visited, has to do with the fact that drinking water and agricultural requirements are not currently being met by the water allocations from Tamiraparani River. "Charity begins at home," says S. Sunderaraja Perumal, president of the District Congress Committee Tirunelveli (Urban). "Within the Tirunelveli corporation limit, there are four to five places where people take to the streets because they get no water or insufficient water. They are all Scheduled Caste (Dalit) people, some of whom live within 30 meters of the river. How can you take water for Coca-Cola when you haven't even provided drinking water to your population?" the Congress leader questions (taken from the Net). Perumal says he is not opposed to drawing Tamiraparani water for drinking purposes. "They're taking water for drinking water needs in Kovilpatti, Sankaran Koil. We're not opposed to that. But water cannot be put on sale to a company that uses water as the raw material and sells water as a product. 500,000 liters of water can comfortably take care of the water needs of 5000 people within Tirunelveli town," he says. R. Krishnan, a member of the Communist Party (Marxist) and former member of the state legislature, echoes Perumal's sentiment: "The difference is that this company is treating water as a raw material and selling it. That is wrong. SIPCOT's 4.5 million liter requirement is for the basic needs of industries that will come up in the industrial estate. Earmarking 10 percent of the total water intake for one company that occupies just 31 acres of a 2000-acre industrial estate is ridiculous." (taken from the Net).
While r
eturning I had a cup of tea at a shop opposite the industrial estate. He was busy as a group of people had just ordered tea. What he manage to say was “people are against Coca Cola”. On the bus an elderly man smiled from the crowd. He was around 55 to 60 years and not wearing much cloth, a torn blue banyan, chek mundu and a plastic bag. He had a sturdy short body and a great smile. “ oongalle standill patha chu……(translate) I saw you at the auto rickshaw stand. You wanted to go to coca cola?.....did you go?” he asked. I nodded.“I used to work at coca cola….”.
“Why you left the job” I asked.
“They gave only 70Rs per day now I work at a place where I get 100Rs and much less work” was his reply.
This is surely a statement on claims of employment generation by Cocacola-Pepsi (we know how bogus it is…meant to divide people). Further what is the cost of natural resources they steal??. While getting down the man informed with an endearing smile that his name was Kasumuthu (money boy literally!!) and I could call him for any job I needed him for. I wanted to take his photograph but it was too crowded and secondly I rarely take photos of the people on their face. I am very uncomfortable about it….it feels like objectifying people. While they speak I surreptitiously take out camera and click, almost an apology!!. They see it and laugh. I guess mobile phone cams are least intrusive, I am thinking of saving some money and buying one!!. Coming back to Kasumuthu he reminded me of Nanook of North!! (the legendary Robert Flaherty’s classic silent movie of 1922). The only difference being that he lives in surroundings where technological benefits are available unlike Nanook . But his life is still as tough as Nanook of North. Kasumuthu is Nanook of South!! At 60 odd age that is a real wrenching life. Thande ka thadka.
