In-depth

IN - DE P TH In-depth

Educate a friend For rupees ten A bunch of students from MIT are committed to helping their fellow needy students, under their own Trust called, Charishma. All that a member spends for this is a meager ten rupees per month.

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his is a time for bold measures. This is the country, and you are the generation” – these words of Bono seemed to have inspired this young bunch of students of Madras Institute of Technology (MIT). They are committed to helping their fellow needy students, under their own Trust called, Charishma.

Charishma educates five other engineering students and an Arts student. Charishma also conducts medical camps, orphanage visits and eye camps

The story of Charishma goes back to the evening, when the mess boy Shakthivel said that he discontinued studies even after scoring 84% in Class 10th, due to financial constraints. The hostel boys of MIT were taken aback. After dinner, when the boys met for a chit-chat, Vivek raised a question, “If Shakthi were to have a little money, wouldn’t he be one among us, as an engineer?” Ganesh asked in reply, “Surely ! But where is the money? Someone else in the group asked, “Where will the money come from?” There was an air of silence for a while. Finally, came the answer from Manoj, “From your pocket and mine”. The idea took shape and thus was formed Charishma in July 2006, by a 28

group of five friends. Now, Shakthivel is a polytechnic student at Taramani polytechnic doing sandwich course in Mechanical Engineering, sponsored by Charishma. Started with 393 members, Charishma educates five other engineering students and an Arts stued matrix MAY 2008

dent. The trust grew in numbers, to 800 in a year. The members wanted to take the trust to the next level and adopted the Dazzling Stone Orphanage, offering medical aids to the inmates. Every month, the trust conducts activities like orphanage visits, medical camps

IN - DE P TH In-depth and eye camps apart from providing educational assistance. Recently, they conducted cataract operation for seven people, with the support of Sankara Nethralaya Hospital. All that a member spends for this is a meager ten rupees per month. Vivek, who took the initiative to start this trust in his final year, says “The trust has been functioning successfully mainly because of the students. If not for their interest and involvement, we will not be able to achieve our purpose”. This year more students, especially juniors, have joined Charishma and now the strength is 1176.

effort and the social concern of the students and said that they have plans to extend it to other college students also.

Charishma’s day out with children of Dazzling Stone Orphanage

“I have no words to express my gratitude and these Annas(brothers) are the reasons behind my continuing education” said an emotional Harish (name changed), a physically challenged and whose education is supported by Charishma. Earlier, he availed educational loan from a bank and it was stopped when he failed in one subject. After that, it is Charishma which is funding his education. He is studying second year automobile engineering in MIT.

The trust has ideas of hiring a trainer in communication skill as few students lose the opportunity to get placed as they lack communication skills.

the fund. “So far, we have been picking up people whom we come across as needy. We are yet to find ways to identify deserving students, who are good in studies yet poor.” They have also planned to give cash awards for top rank holders in 10th and +2 levels. What would happen to the trust when they leave the college at the end of their course? Sathish, who is doing his final year, said that he would still offer his support and service. He added that he could offer more fund when he earned.

Members of Charishma “The Dean and the staff are very supportive and we are very thankful to them”, said Ganesh, another member. The college provides transportation facilities for their camp and orphanage visits. Prof. Sivakumar, who has been giving them his moral support, lauded the

Jagadish, a member, said that the trust has ideas of hiring a trainer in communication skill. He says that a few students lose the opportunity to get placed as they lack communication skills. Other plans of the trust include identifying deserving students to avail ed matrix MAY 2008

Ganesh said, we see great enthusiasm among juniors and more and more active participants are joining us. We will not let the service fade or die.

Keerthana Raj Readers can send in information about students or individuals involved in such developmental activities. Write to [email protected]. They will be brought to lime light through EDMATRIX.

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IN - D E P TH

A dignifying crusader of the unclaimed bodies

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eila, a social activist claims the unclaimed dead bodies and offers them dignity in spite of the discouraging words of friends and neighbours. Dignity is assured at last for those who hardly enjoyed that during their life time.

burying unclaimed bodies from the Government General Hospitals for the last four years. People keep informing her about dead bodies which no one comes forward to claim.

For many, a visit to a burial ground is rare and is normally associated either with a funeral or to pay tributes to the deceased. Apart from this one normally visits to pray for the deceased every year on their death anniversary. Otherwise, people shun burial grounds and dead bodies.

Although, a woman is barred from accompanying the corpse of her husband according to Hindu tradition, Neila is different as she has managed to break this cultural barrier in order to serve those who die anonymously. For many touching a dead body is something scary. Not so for Neila. She seems to have shed not only the cultural barriers, but, the inhibitions and fears.

For 43-year-old Neila, however, it is about fighting against disparity between a rich and poor and against religious taboos to ensure a decent burial for unclaimed bodies in the Moolakothalam area in Chennai, Tamilnadu. As an active social worker and a district organiser for women in Human Rights Organisation, an NGO, Neila has been

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ed matrix june 2008

Her inspiration for social service is rooted in personal experience. “In December 2004, a sick old woman, abandoned by her sons, used to sleep in front of my house. I used to help her. After two days, she went missing. A fortnight later, she was found dead. Since there was nobody

IN - D E P TH to rub shoulders with many. There were many who laughed at her; many discouraged her cautioning here against the legal problems involved in doing such strange social dealings.

to initiate her final rites, I buried the body. This incident forced me to break that cultural barrier,” she recounted.

Corporation officials, she would take the body to the cemetery and perform final rites according to Hindu tradition, she added.

Since then, Neila has cremated 74 unclaimed bodies and more than 12 bodies, whose burials relatives of the deceased were not able to afford.

Her zeal for selfless service has led to the formation of the Utra Helping Organisation, an association which provides psychological counselling for family problems, helps deserted senior citizens, and getting them admitted to old age homes and organising awareness campaigns against committing suicide.

In a country where getting permissions from government authorities is quite a task, Neila’s efforts appear to be unswerving. She spends Rs.800 for every burial. After getting the necessary permission from the police, the hospital and

It was not that easy for Neila. Though it is a voluntary service, Neila had

But, for Neila it was a different experience. Helping someone particularly those who are aging and those who died but await the last respects brings a lot of meaning. It is as if helping someone to have a pass to enter the bliss of heavenly life. She becomes a person who removes all stumbling blocks for a dead person to have their path cleared in entering heaven. So it is meaningful and very rewarding. In appreciation of her service, Neila received several awards from various organisations in the State including human rights commission. She can be contacted at 9444027146 or 25921003 regarding last rites for unclaimed bodies, admission of senior citizens to old age homes and legal counsel for women undergoing harassment by employers or spouses.

Kalpana.E

Readers can send in information about individuals involved in such developmental activities. Write to edmatrix.edu@gmail. com. They will be brought to lime light through EDMATRIX.

ed matrix june 2008

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Retracing the footprints of Freedom fighters!!

Students at the book fair organized by Stalin Gunasekarn

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t was the year 1970. A ten year old boy was reading the biography of Bhagat Singh to 33 of his companions and they were greatly impressed with the courage of Bhagat Singh. The boys who were listening with unwavering attention burst into tears when they heard Bhagat Singh was hanged to death. The life history of Bhagat Singh made such a great impact on them that after ten years, this group of 33 young boys came together to form a movement called “Maunavar Munnetra Sangam”. Their main motive was to read the books of great leaders and to know about their life history and to meditate on the ideologies of great people who made a big impact. This ten year old 28

boy named Stalin Gunasekar, who read the biography to his friends is now the founder of the movement. After 38 years, Stalin is still continuing his service of imparting patriotic feelings to the mass in and around the district of Erode in Tamil Nadu. This time its not through reading that he has delivered the messages of the leaders to the young generation but by his writing, by his speech, by conducting book festivals, by opening libraries and by conducting literary festivals. Maunavar Munnetra Sangam took various shapes before becoming Makkal Sindhanai Peravai. The medium has ed matrix july 2008

changed but the focus has remained the same to help the upcoming generation, to develop love for the country, to value the hard earned freedom and a love and passion for literature. “Today people think that independence was easily won. They are unaware of the struggle the noble leaders underwent to win freedom and the innumerable atrocities leashed out against them and the whole nation. It is not the mistake of the youngsters, but it is the irresponsibility of the elders who failed to communicate them,” says Stalin Gunasekaran. The movement he had started has more than a thousand members including teachers, professors, doctors and

IN - D E P TH

Stalin has given up his profession as an advocate and involves in the welfare of the people. college students. Stalin who is the author of numerous books has also published Viduthalai Velviyil Tamilagam, which deals with the life of freedom fighters of Tamil Nadu in a detailed manner. He distributed this book of two volumes to thousand students whom he selected from the schools of Erode. This book is distributed free of cost as an effort to inculcate patriotism in youngsters’ mind. He also met a number of surviving freedom fighters to write the book and shared his experience with ED Matrix, which showed the plight of some freedom fighters, who are not cared for.

Address a gathering Stalin Gunasekarn He gives speeches in the schools of Erode, Coimbatore, Madurai and Salem districts of Tamilnadu about great scholars and freedom fighters . His urge lies in meeting one lakh students together with in a limited period. The main aim is to motivate students to develop a social outlook, to be proud of the Indian history and culture, to encourage the habit of reading and to make students socially concerned and committed. The association conducts book fair every year, which has been very successful, as a result of which one find in spite of the fact that the book fair gave free entry to the public. Apart from this, the association has opened a library with more than 10,000 books in a village called Manickampalayam. Stalin has given up his profession as an advocate and involves in the welfare of the people. As you would have guessed from his name, he associates himself with the Communist Party of India and ed matrix july 2008

is a member of the National Council. His father inspired him to be interested in the communist ideologies. He cherishes the moments and the opportunities he experienced with great leaders like Captain Laxmi, Kalpana Datt, and other freedom fighters. The latest project of the association is to felicitate the government teachers who created state ranks in their subjects. Stalin receives feedback from students and youth. Invariably everyone of them points out that his speech was a turning point in each of their life. Stalin considers this response from growing youth as his success. He comments that he has to journey many more miles to reach his destiny just as Robert frost says ‘I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep’. Keerthana raj

Readers can send in information about individuals involved in such developmental activities. Write to [email protected] They will be brought to lime light through EDMATRIX.

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“I show real life heroes in my films” Interview with R.R. Srinivasan, documentary and short film producer

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nyone interested in documentaries and short films in Tamilnadu cannot miss R.R. Srinivasan. Amidst myriads of film makers in Taminadu he stands out as a responsible film maker with social consciousness. His nine short films and nine documentaries depict his own powerful personality. Initiating a film appreciation movement through Kanchanai, an organization he started for creating awareness among rural people on films, he went on to host the first Documentary Fest in Tamilnadu through DBICA, a communication centre in Chennai. His recent film on Palaru River made a big impact as it was released during a very crucial period of time when there is a big issue of sand quarrying and water scarcity. He exhibits his social consciousness through his extensive and varied experiences in several areas of visual arts in this interview.

Q:You have been producing and

directing documentaries for many years. How do you select the content for the documentary films?

R.R: I basically have great interest in

some fields like; culture, anthropology and folklore. I am not interested in politically oriented documentaries or any other genre that conveys messages directly. I have done many documentaries for others. So, I have not chosen the subjects for the documentaries; they have chosen. But I make sure I do not take up subjects that have already been handled by others. I choose my own subjects based on folk traditions in which I am interested in. 28

MULTIFACETED: R.R. Srinivasan during a filming schedule. Photo: Senthil

Q: Do you work with a “Pre-

Production Plan” or do you work without any specific plan?

R.R: Right now I am doing a film on

Poombuhar. I do not have sufficient time and money to research on Poombuhar. I have to study a bit and then I have to film it. During my filming schedules I will get to know the complete history. To tell the truth there are both a planned and unplanned element in my work. I like to work without a plan because, working without pre-conceived notion and a predetermined style is quite important. That is how we get to see wonders. ed matrix august 2008

Q: Post-production is an essential

part in a documentary. How important was post-production in your documentaries? What is your experience?

R.R: It is a well-known fact that films

are shaped fine tuned when they are in post-production period. That’s why I spend a lot of time in this aspect. I have always used “live sounds” to this day and I use additional music rarely. I try to use the sounds that are present there. During post-production I work a lot to preserve the originality of the film. There is a lot to convey in exposure

IN - D E P TH and educative documentaries. At the end of the shoot the filmmaker wants to say and include many things. As a result h comes with commentaries and narrations. But I dislike commentaries. I work hard to avoid commentaries in my productions.

Q: Though “The Old Sea and the

Man” portrays Tsunami’s great havoc quite openly, its composition gives a great sense of wonder to the viewers. How did you decide on the subject as you have had many options?

R.R: I had plans to work on two of my

pet projects. I wanted a documentary on Koodangulam, being close to my native place, Tirunelveli, and the second on Sethu Samuthiram Project. I wanted to do separate films on each of them knowing the risks and problems involved in that. As I was contemplating the idea, Tsunami struck Tamilnadu and I was really confused about choosing the subject. The devastating effects of Tsunami was fresh in the minds of the people and they may not be interested in Koodangulam or Sethu Samuthram Project. Specifically I chose to film tsunami as I researched on the subject. The organizations working for the fishing communities gave me enough materials for the where I had meaning and space to bring in the evil effects of Koodangulam and Sethusamuthram. That is how I ventured into the tsunami project. “The Old Sea and the Man” was the outcome of this process.

Q: In “The Old Sea and the Man” you have interviewed several members of the Federations like; Natural Farming Federation, Farmer’s Land Rights Movement, Coastal Action Network, South Indian Fishermen Movement and People’s Forum for Anti-Nuclear Energy etc. Did you meet them by chance or did you preplan it?

R.R: Actually I preplanned it after

going through a process of discernment. Media present many personalities to the public as great icons. Most often 95% of them are all wrong icons. So I decided

to show real life heroes in my films and documentaries. The icons I propose are immersed in doing some good to the society. I go in search of them to show to the public. This is how I wish to show my commitment to the society.

Q: “Death of a River” made a great

impact among the people more than others. You said once that you wanted to record it as an event in history and not as a film. Can you elaborate on it?

R.R: After the incident we interviewed

all the affected people immediately. We documented the event for the sake of the witness value it has in court, in case somebody files a case. There is a lot of difference in documenting an event immediately and interviewing after 20 days. When we do it immediately those affected will speak firmly and with depth. We started interviewing the affected people on the same day. If you had watched the documentary you can see how firm the people were in expressing their sorrow. We worked on it immediately and after recording many people’s interviews, due to the compulsion of my friends I compiled all of them and made this documentary.

Q: You had collected many scenes

of police beating up the people from the News channels and televisions. ed matrix august 2008

You have compiled all of them for Death of a River and presented in the documentary. How difficult the project was?

R.R: We wanted to gather as many

resources as possible like, photographs from the print media and videos from T.V. channels. But we did not succeed because it was elaborately covered by Sun T.V., a channel of DMK, the then ruling party. They shot for more than an hour and they did not telecast it to this day. A Nila T.V. news reporter covered the incident and the rights were with Puthiya Tamizhagam party and I used them in the documentary.

Q: Looking back at what you

have achieved, what are your musings about your short films and documentaries? R.R: They are direct lessons from life. I do not look at a job or project, as if it is done by the camera. This connects me with what I shoot. I relish every bit of my work. I may be shooting an important project, but, if there happens to be a beautiful tree and if I like to take a little rest on the tree, I do not mind resting a while. There is nothing to be excited about it. I learn a lot by directly experiencing and learning from life. Staff Reporter

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