In a heart-wrenching appeal that spotlights Tamil Nadu’s growing alcohol crisis, a woman sanitation worker from Tenkasi revealed the ordeal faced by thousands of vulnerable families devastated by addiction. Her emotional plea to shut down TASMAC liquor shops, delivered during a recent petition meeting, reveals the stark human cost of easily accessible alcohol, particularly for rural families.
The mother of two, who now lives in a cowshed after selling her cows for survival, shares how her sons’ early exposure to alcohol – beginning at age 10 – has trapped her family in a cycle of poverty and desperation. Her sons are aged 25 and 22 now.
Dravidian Parties & Liquor Addiction
The Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu have played a significant role in exacerbating the struggles of many women and their families, trapping them in poverty and perpetuating cycles of alcohol addiction.
In Tenkasi, a tragic story has emerged about a woman sanitation worker who is urgently appealing to the government to protect her children from addiction and to shut down all TASMAC liquor shops. Her situation highlights the harsh realities faced by many in rural Tamil Nadu over the past decade.
She revealed that both of her sons have developed an addiction to TASMAC liquor, with one starting as early as age 10, largely due to the shop’s closeness. Now, her family lives in a cowshed as their home deteriorates. The income she earns is often taken by her sons to support their drinking, forcing her to sell her cows just to survive. She believes that if the government closed the nearby TASMAC shop, her sons could find work and help rebuild their home, reducing her dependence on government support. Her poignant story draws attention and fueling calls for a ban on these liquor outlets.
The woman tearfully addressed the press during a petition meeting, saying, “Look at my hands sir, I work as a sanitation worker. My son has brought the family to streets by drinking (alcohol) since the age of 10. I have two sons, one is 22 and the other is 25 years old, both are addicted to liquor. If you see, yesterday I had 300 rupees, he took it and consumed alcohol. I don’t need any help from the government in constructing a house for me. Let them close the alcohol shops, my children will work and build a house for me. Don’t I need children for my last rites?”
She then petitioned for a new home, as her house, built 26 years ago, is now in a dilapidated state. Government officials who previously assessed her situation promised that a new home would be constructed for her. However, those promises have not materialized, and she now lives in a cowshed, relying on the sale of her two cows to survive.
We have created lakhs of women like this sanitation worker, especially in rural Tami Nadu, over the past decade. Both of her sons allegedly became addicted to TASMAC liquor, one as early as the age of 10, due to the shop’s proximity. Now, her family lives in a cowshed, as their… pic.twitter.com/bbILBPtobj
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) October 21, 2024
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