The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Harijan Sevak Sangh to publicise activities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 10, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Harijan Sevak Sangh to publicise activities

Staff Reporter

Push to involve educational institutions, self-help groups

CHENNAI : The Harijan Sevak Sangh (HSS), founded by Mahatma Gandhi to eradicate untouchability, will aim to spread awareness about its activities through schools, colleges and college communities, rural self help groups and promote education and employability among the community in its 75th year celebrations.

These were suggestions that came up during the committee meeting, which was attended by Governor S.S. Barnala, Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudi and HSS All India president Nirmala Deshpande.

Ms Deshpande noted that former President K.R. Narayanan attributed his success to the HSS, Trivandrum. She said that the major work of HSS has been in the field of education. Director of elementary education Uma Maheshwari said that the lakhs of children that come under their care could participate in awareness about the HSS activities with projects such as human chains and school competitions. Anna University vice-chancellor D. Viswanathan said that student groups such as the NSS (National Service Scheme) could go to villages to teach children the importance of education. Director of agriculture G. Santhanam said that women SHGs could be adopted to assist in the awareness programmes. It was also suggested that more Harijans (literally meaning `children of god', a term employed by Gandhiji for the untouchables) should be enlisted in teacher training institutes.

The importance of involving non-Harijans in the activities was discussed at the meeting.

Mr. Ponmudi said that the government was committed to eradicating social inequalities and had recently declared that all castes would be allowed to become priests.

Mr. Barnala said, "Caste came into existence because of classification of people on the basis of professions in those days. Now it has simply become a tool of exploitation''. He said the problem of untouchability is inseparably linked to the caste system.

He saidwhen he came to Tamil Nadu first, he did not understand untouchability as it was an alien concept in his home state Punjab. He said the only way to battle it was to have the cause taken up by the higher castes.

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