This young woman had a horrid time with her alcoholic father at her house in Ramanathapuram. Today, S. Indira, a leader at DHAN Sellur Federation and a member of de-addiction squad, tells her story as an example and counsels others who encounter similar problems. Speaking to Sanjana Ganesh, Ms. Indira opens up about her struggles while growing up to believing in herself.
“When I was young, my father would take our family on picnics and vacations that we enjoyed so much. He worked hard and earned good money. However, he would spend it on drinks, leaving our joint family in an unstable state,” says Ms. Indira. “Although my father was a nice man, if confronted about his alcohol habit, he would hit me. He would pick up fights in buses and trains much to our embarrassment. This internalisation of shame led to many consequences. One such happy follow-through was my work with the de-addiction centre,” she says.
Ms. Indira was married in 2001 after completing her 12th standard in Ramanathapuram. When she moved to Madurai, she was a shy and timid person. “At that time DHAN Foundation was setting up an organisation to provide micro loans through efficient means to women in areas near Sellur. I immediately agreed to join because the income in my house was insufficient. My husband was running a phone booth which was losing money. I though small loans of ₹1,000 and ₹5,000 would see us through,” she says.
Since she enjoyed a good rapport in the society and her ability to keep track of finance, her life turned for the better. Ms. Indira completed several leadership training programmes offered by DHAN and went on to complete courses in Public and Community Health through correspondence. And she fulfilled her childhood dream of getting a decent education.
Spending time at the DHAN office helped Ms. Indira gain a deep understanding of the problems encountered by women in her neighbourhood. When DHAN introduced the de-addiction programme in association with M. S. Chellamuthu Trust, she was one of the first volunteers.
Ms. Indira says many women were hesitant to even admit that their husbands or sons drink. “We collected data of houses where people drank. We found that 90% of houses in Sellur were affected by this problem. The women would break down while narrating the problems - about their dismal
financial situation, abuse after drinking bouts. Their life was hard,” she says.
The first step is to tell them that alcoholism is a medical condition. It can be treated like any other illness. Ms. Indira says she continues to visit houses and help families affected by alcoholism because she gets a sense of fulfilment and purpose. “Each time a mother or wife comes up to me and says her family is doing well, it gives me so much joy,” she says.