Unlike other people in the country, we do not have a formal identity. We are called Indian Tamils. But we identify ourselves as Malayagam Tamils. We cultivate tea which is a major economic source for this country. However, we are not getting proper pay and till date we do not have our own address. We are unable to make our own decisions and build houses on our land. The plantation remains in the government and plantation management’s servitude.
Nowadays, young people want to be self-employed. Even after obtaining higher education, job opportunities are not available. Therefore, there is an expectation among them that they can improve their livelihood by doing self-employment. Due to this we won’t have a house to live in since our children won’t work in the estate. If we have a deed to our land we will not need to leave the current house even if our children won’t work in estates.
We are also considered as citizens of this country since we have the right to vote.Then why don’t we have the address to our home when other citizens of this country do? The daily wage we receive is Rs 900. In that one fourth of the money goes to the union and the remaining money is not enough for our day to day lives.
Thangavel Chitravel
Drayton Estate, Kandapola
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