Rotarian's effort brings hope in 14 tribal families in Kodaikanal

The Hindu

22-06-2025

For Mallika, born in a Tribal family, she lived in a 'home' all these years covering the roof with a plastic sheet and four bamboo sticks acted as the 'pillars'.
Today, June 22 is an unforgettable day for her as she has got a home, in the true sense - a concrete roof with a carpet area measuring 150 square feet consisting of a hall and an attached bathroom with electricity. Each unit cost Rs 5 lakh and the total project stood at ₹70 lakh.
Mallika is not the lone beneficiary. Thirteen others too are lucky to have their own homes in their names.
How it all happened
About a few years ago, Rajkumar Raman, a Rotarian living in Kodaikanal got a spark to help these families after visiting the tribal habitation at Valaigiri, 30 km away from upper Kodaikanal. Living in extreme conditions under the plastic sheet with total exposure to the eco-system and frequent threats from wild animals, he explored the modalities since then.
Contacting his friends and philanthropists, Mr Rajkumar, chairman of the 'Rama Vanam' - Rotary Model Tribal Village project - shared about his plans to build 14 concrete homes. As the response was positive and encouraging, he ventured upon the 'dream' project in June 2022 with a 'bhoomi puja'.
Sharing his experience, he said it all started over a chance conversation with a past District Governor Jawaharilal Jain, which was the spark and opened his eyes to the struggles of the nomadic tribes. 'The living conditions were quite challenging for these tribal people. They lived in fragile, makeshift tents or under plastic sheets supported by wooden logs — without proper walls, doors, or safety, which they had to share with cattle. Many elderly persons, women, and children were compelled to endure the winters in these temporary shelters which provided little to no protection from the severe cold due to the region's high altitude. The harsh reality of men sleeping on rocks outdoors and women huddled in makeshift tents highlighted the urgent need for safe and dignified housing...' he added.
The 14 families lived in a small space in Valaigiri and when Mr Rajkumar approached a landlord in the vicinity, he readily agreed to part with two cents of land each to the 14 tribal families out of his 30 acres of land. Once, he got it materialised, the then Revenue Divisional Officer S. Murugesan was instrumental in getting the documents finalised directly in the name of the 14 beneficiaries.
Rotary District Governor R. Raja Govindasamy, who was the chief guest, handed over the keys to the beneficiaries at a function organised on Sunday. He lauded the role played by Mr. Rajkumar as a milestone achievement by a Rotarian. ' A first of its kind being done by an individual needs to be appreciated as it would motivate several others to follow Mr Rajkumar...' he added.
Offering felicitation, Sundaram Home Finance MD Lakshminarayanan said that after having seen the dwellings of the tribal people earlier in Valaigiri, the initiative by Mr. Rajkumar has given a new meaning to the beneficiaries, who would really live in their homes. Sharing similar thoughts, K.S. Nagaraj Setty from Mumbai, who contributed for the project, said that he would be eager to help the children here for their higher education as well.
Motivational speaker and former SP Kaliamoorthy inspired the members with his splendid talk on the need for philanthropy.
Thanking the donors and Mr. Rajkumar, Mallika, spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries. She said it was an emotional moment to have our homes in our names. Many Rotary Club Kodaikanal president D. Rajkumar, secretary Leslie, treasurer Rohan Sam Babu and among others participated.