Nine-year-old Rakshita’s eyes welled up with tears when she pleaded with the residents of Kuttaiyur Village to shun liquor, as she had lost her father to alcoholism, and later her mother to illness.
“Four siblings, including I, are left alone,” she said, narrating the tragedy her family faced because of her father’s addiction to alcohol.
Rakshita said this to people at the camp organised by the Prohibition Enforcement Wing, Selva Charitable Trust, and Humanity During COVID-19 Group at the village on Friday to distribute relief materials. Kuttaiyur Village is located near the Tamil Nadu – Karnataka border in Bargur Panchayat, Anthiyur Taluk.
As the police personnel were speaking about the ill-effects of consuming liquor, Rakshita came forward and spoke about the loss of her parents, separation of the siblings, and her family’s ordeal in trying to make ends meet.
Rakshita’s father Puttappan (41) died two-and-a-half years ago, while her mother Sakhi (30) died a year ago. Rakshita and her sister Jeya now stay with their 80-year-old grandmother Manjamma. They are in Class 5 and 4 respectively at the Government Tribal Residential Elementary School in the village. Two of her siblings, Akshita, a Class 8 student, and Mani, aged three, are staying with her mother’s sister at Devarmalai.
The ₹ 1,000 that Manjamma received every month as old-age pension was the only source of income for the family.
Children’s future
Superintendent of Police, Prohibition Enforcement Wing, Salem Zone, R. Sivakumar asked people at the camp not to justify liquor consumption. “The future of your children lies in your hands. So keep away from liquor,” he said.
Selva Charitable Trust founder J.J. Bharathi and Humanity During COVID-19 Group founder Naim Khan sponsored 120 packs of essentials that were distributed to the villagers of Kuttaiyur.