Marathon effort

September 2 will see Chennaiites extending their support for several worthwhile initiatives by their participation in the Fifth Citizens' Run. In a series of articles, the NGOs involved will be profiled.

THE CITIZENS' Run Trust is having its fifth annual cross-city run on September 2 at 4 p.m. It will be from the Gandhi Mantapam on the Sardar Patel Road to the Gandhi Statue on the Marina. The run has been held every year since 1996 to support six different initiatives undertaken by voluntary organisations in the city. All participants wear a T-shirt, specially designed by artist and author Manjula Padmanabhan, costing Rs. 100, to display their support for the cause.

One such initiative that is supported by the run is the handmade paper unit run by Unit V of the Exnora International, located in the Narikoravar Housing Colony at Indira Nagar. As one walks through the hutments of Narikoravas, one can see them engaged in bead work - a traditional occupation among this community for generations.

Despite its innocuous exterior and location over a public convenience, the paper making unit is a hive of activity.

The young men of the community operate two machines creating pulp from waste paper and paper from pulp. There is a press to remove the excess water. The women make bags out of old newspapers.

Vijay Anand, an enthusiastic young man, devotes all his spare time, after work at a factory, to the running of the paper unit.

He recalls that when it was started at Indira Nagar, Jagannath, a Narikorava youth, was appointed to collect garbage from homes in the area. He met with intense disapproval initially from the residents for, the Narikoravas had been branded way back in the days of British rule as a criminal tribe. But, in six months, the young man proved himself to be honest and hardworking and soon 60 Narikoravas were appointed to collect garbage from all the houses in Adyar. They collected rags and paper and sold it to a middleman at Re.1 a kg while the latter, in turn, sold it for Rs. 5-6.

Exnora (Unit V) decided to set up a plant to recycle the solid wastes from the public convenience in the Narikorava colony. Today, the plant generates enough bio-gas to meet some of the domestic fuel needs of the residents.

Exnora has also helped the Narikoravas to get loans from the Indian Bank with which they could buy quality beads on a wholesale basis from Agra. Though the bank was reluctant to extend credit to members of the community initially, the officials were pleasantly surprised when the instalments were promptly paid each month and full recovery was made even before the stipulated period.

The paper-making unit buys rags and paper from the Narikoravas. Some of the Narikoravas are also engaged in paper-making along with a few Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and other women in the area.

Exnora (Unit V) sent 30 Narikorava children, all first-generation learners, to a nearby Corporation school.

It is hoped that this year's Citizens' Run will see greater public support which will, in turn, generate more funds to help procure better machinery for the paper-making unit. Besides, if the unit could be re-located in a more spacious premises, it could provide employment to more people.

For details about the event, contact Kamakshi at the Chatnath Trust from where the Citizen's Run Trust functions (Phone 4355182).

V. R. DEVIKA

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