Tamil Nadu-based NGO Adhalinal Kaadhal Seiveer has provided a safe space, along with legal and financial counselling, to hundreds of inter-caste couples.
Se Gunasekar is no stranger to threats. It seems to come with the territory when you help two people from different castes be together. The co-founder of Tamil Nadu-based Adhalinal Kaadhal Seiveer (AKS), an NGO that protects and counsels married and soon-to-be-married inter-caste couples, Gunasekar has helped hundreds of people in inter-caste relationships over the years.
In 2019, the organisation founded a safe house in Trichy, and within months Gunasekar faced one of the most serious threats to his life. A couple had come to AKS seeking refuge– the man was from a Dalit community and the woman belonged to the Most Backward Class community. The woman’s family, unhappy that the couple had eloped, had allegedly hired around ten henchmen and sent them to threaten Gunasekar and bring the woman back.
“The girl’s family had employed about ten men to murder me and to retrieve the girl. However, as they were from Tirupur and everyone there was familiar with the work I do, I was quickly informed about what was happening,” says Gunasekar, who is an advocate in Tirupur. He says the hired men threatened him and were staying in a hotel near his house to keep watch over him. But Gunasekar was unafraid.
“I was unsure of what to do, but giving up or fearing for my life were not options. So, we were prepared to face anything. Coincidentally, the girl’s father telephoned me and requested to speak to his daughter. When I questioned him about setting up henchmen, he said he had not employed anyone. But, the other men of his caste were deeply hurt by this incident and had taken it upon themselves to bring the girl back,” says Gunasekar, who refused to back down at the time and sometime after the henchmen left. The couple is now safe and recently had a child as well.
Adhalinal Kaadhal Seiveer, was started in 2017 by four people– advocate Angaiyar Kanni from Chennai, advocate Porkodi from Madurai, advocate Chinnasami from Thanjavur and Gunasekar (later, retired police officer Tamizh Sudar from Trichy joined the team). What connects all these five people and why did they decide to start this NGO? They are all anti-caste and had inter-caste marriages themselves. The organisation also has a support system of around 300 lawyers across the state that provide legal help and support to those in need.
“As five of us (Managing Trustees) are located in different districts, at times it becomes challenging to help couples in crisis. But over the past few years, several lawyers who share the same political ideology as us started helping and ensured the couples’ safety in their respective districts,” says Gunasekar.
After the first safe house was opened in Trichy, a second one was started in Tirupur on February 14, 2021. Now, the organisation is planning to open another safe house for inter-caste couples, this time in Madurai. The inauguration is scheduled for September 17. A fourth house is also being planned and will be open by the end of December in Chennai. The safe house is for inter-caste couples who are in danger and receive threats from family members. The couple can stay there for anywhere between weeks to months, and during this time they are given both legal and financial guidance by the lawyers.
The organisation has also built a strong network among the people it has helped over the years. Some of the inter-caste couples that the NGO protected and aided are still in touch with Gunasekar, and pay it forward.
One of the first couples that Gunasekar helped approached him way back in 1999. Kalyani, who belongs to the Dalit community, married a Malayali Christian with Gunasekar’s help. The couple currently resides in Coimbatore district and still stays in touch with Gunasekar and attends the yearly camp held by AKS. The camp is a support group of sorts, where inter-caste couples come together and share their stories and experiences.
“In our time of need, Gunasekar sir has been a great support. Even after the marriage, he stood by us during the police inquiries. As the first inter-caste couple to have married with Gunasekar’s assistance, we will always support him,” says Kalyani.
Similarly, Vadivel from Tirupur who married Banu Begum in 2012 with Gunasekar’s help became an AKS Trustee. Vadivel says, “I received many threats from my wife’s brother for marrying her. However, Gunasekar stood by me through all of it.”
“As a trustee now, I have many roles to play in AKS, from making arrangements for inter-caste couples to ensuring their safety while they stay at the safe home,” he added.
Gunasekar says that he and his team will continue to support and protect inter-caste couples who need help. And he hopes that in the next few years caste-based violence in Tamil Nadu will drastically reduce.
Those wanting to volunteer, donate or seek help from Adhalinal Kaadhal Seiveer, can contact +919361545000.
Source: The News Minute