Great grandson of brave chieftain battles poverty
Veemaraja Jagaveera Pandiya Subramania Kattabomman Durai at his home in Panchalankurichi. (Photo: DC)
Chennai: “The nation has forgotten those who gave their lives for its freedom,” says Veemaraja Jagaveera Pandiya Subramania Kattabomman Durai (75), a fourth generation descendant of the slain freedom fighter, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, who lives with his wife Pechiammal (68) in a shanty outside the Veerapandiya Kattabomman Memorial Fort at Panchalankurichi.
“My great grandfather was among the first local chieftains to challenge the British. He was hanged and his wealth usurped by the British. four generations later, I am barely able to make ends meet,” says Durai, who receives a monthly pension of Rs 2,000 from the state government.
Durai gets invited to several government functions and events in memory of his great grandfather, but what he really wants is a job to be able to take care of his family.
Durai lives inside the six-acre sprawling memorial fort in a little shed and works part time as its caretaker. Tourists, who throng the fort, usually provide financial help. “It is out of their patriotic fervour and generosity that I am able to manage my life. Recently, a popular south Indian actor who was appalled at the condition of my shed offered to renovate it. I am grateful to such good souls,” he says.
Due to his freedom fighter background, he says that nobody was willing to offer him a job even as a youth. “My life has been spent attending functions as a family member of the slain leader. People here still call me a ‘raja’, but I’m practically bankrupt. My son works as a casual labourer and chips in with his share for the family,” he says.
Durai says that despite his poverty, he does not seek funds from the government. “I always wished for a statue of Veerapandiya Kattabomman in Chennai. While there are statues in several parts of the state, there is not even a single one of my great grandfather in the capital. It is my only request to the state government,” he says.
( Source : dc )
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