In the tsunami affected areas of Tamil Nadu, there are about 8000 Dalit families who live in about 95 hamlets.  About 30 hamlets were severely affected and about 5000 huts have been washed away, according to Mr. Vincent Manohar of the NCDHR, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights.

 Velankany is renowned for its magnificent church and devotees come from far and wide.  There was a significantly larger number of devotees on the beach near the church the morning after Christmas when the tsunami struck.  About 2000 people perished and of these dead, about 200 people were local residents. 

 In the Velankany area, there are about 2000 Dalit families in about 60 villages and they were not provided any shelters, according to Mr. Ayapillai, a Dalit activist.  It was only after a HRFLD (Human Rights Forum for Liberation of Dalits) leader, Mr. Ravi Chandran, was interviewed on TV networks that the government machinery cooperated with NGO's in providing shelters.

In Velankany and other areas, Dalit municipal employees (so-called "scavengers") from several cities such as Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli were brought in to clear the dead bodies.  Strangely, these workers were not provided basic safety equipment such as gloves, masks or boots as they waded in the slush or treaded amongst the mangled debris.  According to Mr. Manohar, personal protection equipment was provided to other non-Dalit relief workers and even worn by officials who were largely supervising the operations. 

For a long time, the well-organized fisherman group has apparently prevented Dalits from sea fishing.  For the Dalits who eked out a living by fishing, they had to fish inland where the catch was typically less.  For the Dalits who worked on agriculture, their future is uncertain as the soil has become saline and its fertility is still being assessed.  Even so, 90% of the Dalits worked on land owned by others before the tsunami and do not know what the future holds for them.

After the tsunami, that Dalits were chased away by fisherfolk when Dalits tried to enter the relief camps, according to Manohar.  To add insult to injury, the government machinery was also slower to react to Dalit needs.  For example, drinking water supplies reached non-Dalit areas but were tardy or negligent in reaching Dalit areas.  According to Manohar, FIR's (First Information Reports) to document missing people were not readily filed for Dalits as they could then become eligible for the one lakh rupees issued for each casualty by the government. 

In Kuttiyandyur, Parthasarathy found that the panchayat does not acknowledge that the Dalit hamlet of Chinnamanikapanga is part of the main village.  Kuttiyandyur has a population of 1014 and 23 Dalit families live in Chinnamanikapanga.  The Chinnamanikapanga families have received none of the immediate relief provisions provided by the government.  AID has worked with denizens of both the village and the Dalit hamlet, while taking care to not alienate the Panchayat and thereby lose its cooperation.  Parthasarathy and other volunteers have worked in Kuttiyandyur and are now ready to move on as systems are in place and the village can manage on its own.  AID will continue to provide much-needed supplies to Chinnamanikapanga.  It is important that the government and other relief agencies reach out to Dalit hamlets such as Chinnamanikapanga, which have existed under difficult conditions and are struggling to cope even more after the tsunami.

In the Nagapattinam/Karaikal area, the tsunami was particularly devastating.  There have been thousands of deaths and estimates range as high as 14,000.  Of these, 113 dead were believed to be Dalits.  1914 Dalit homes were also destroyed by the tsunami.  The Dalits were not able to stay in the relief camps that sheltered non-Dalits and the Dalit relief camp had to be set up several kilometers away from their former dwellings. 

In Keshavanpalem, 83 Dalit homes close to the shore were washed away and nine Dalits died.  According to Mr. Karuappan, a retired IAS officer who is very active with Dalit causes through organizations such as NCDHR and HRFLD, the Dalits have no shelters.  They staged a peaceful dharna (protest) in front of the local officials who promised action in an hour.  More than two days have since passed and the shelters remain an empty promise.  The Dalits occupy the sites of their destroyed homes during the day and then go wherever they can, possibly the homes of their relatives, for the night.

The tsunami has been a colossal disaster and has affected people from many nations and many walks of life.  Just as other communities have suffered, the Dalits have also borne tragic losses.  It is sad that age-old discriminatory practices prevail even in this crisis situation and the tsunami tragedy has been made more difficult to bear for the long-suffering Dalits.