Munnar: Distasteful Truths And Hidden Sorrows

By Anitha.S

27 September, 2015
Countercurrents.org

Little did I know the depth and width of the truths the women would share with us the short time they shared with us, in spite of many ifs and dos and don’t’s. But it was clear in a short while the clarity of thought, the sensible and rational analysis and the true humaneness of their language and gestures. It seems stupid and shallow all the time and energy we waste attributing unnecessary dimensions to some just and simple demands and needs.

“ I lost my child to the deadly Leptospirosis last year. She was the apple of my eye, my bundle of joy and hope. My situation is such that I was not able to get her the best medical help. The only thing I realized when she was gone was the weight of memories she left behind. She would haunt the single room which we called our home- with her laughter and calls, her cries and small pranks, I found it impossible to stay there. I wanted a change of the space we call home. But no one listened to me and I slowly became silent and withdrawn. It took months to cure me- even now she does come and call me but her voice is also becoming fainter and fainter”

With tears falling down her weather beaten dark cheeks, the young mother told me the story of her life asking the basic question that revealed the depth of the demands which also related to the years of exploitation.

‘ How can we not work? As such with all the cuts and take away we get less than 2-3K a month. Can a family survive on that? On paper, we are given accommodation, electricity, water, rations, blankets? We do get it all, but at what cost? But.. there are many buts..we do not want to elaborate on all that..we want to live like human beings. We are not scared of working – we are seasoned and hardened by the sun and rain, by the steep mountains and slippery rocks, by the leech- ridden paths. We are not frightened by all this – this is the only life we have known. We wake up to the smell of tender tea leaves and the sound of wind. But we need to feel human – we need warmth and a decent space to live, the security of a strong roof over our heads, a clean toilet and water supply”

‘ I am unwell with pain in my knees and legs after years of work in the plantations, plucking the leaves and carrying the load up the hills. Sometimes I feel my knees will buckle and I will roll down the hills. This slows my pace. When I see the doctor he tells me 2 things – Do not carry weight and do not put on weight- am then given pain killers which I know will temporarily give relief but will not cure my problem. I can only smile helplessly hearing the solutions that I cannot follow. Can I afford to stay at home and take rest, prepare a balanced diet chart that will help me reduce the heaviness of my middle age?”

All the above voices we heard on a rainy afternoon in Munnar may sound apolitical and emotional, but it seemed truly apolitical not to listen and create a space where the voices of women do become heard and taken with all the gravity of the issues they raise. This is a reflection of the unpalatable, distasteful truths that the lives of women workers who support multiple lives with their hardship filled livelihood. The occupational hazards and health problems that breathing of pesticides, drinking contaminated water, living in unhygienic circumstances and neglecting the subtle health needs of the feminine body creates remain unspoken and unsaid. How can such a space be made now that what has been hidden under the carpet of drawing rooms where a hot cup of tea is served and savoured has been torn apart ? It is shocking to know and understand details of the wages given, the bonuses allowed and the support services provided by the management. What is the logic by which their just demands cannot be met immediately? This is the question a Munnar yatra gives us as the mist covers the hills ravaged and exploited by the plantations.

Anitha.S in conversation with the women of Munnar on 25th September, 2015.

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