TN drops word ‘colony’ from official records, like Kerala
Dalit rights activists welcome move, say the decision will help in the eradication of caste system in TN society
Tamil Nadu government records will now shed the word ‘colony’, which indirectly refers to residential areas of Scheduled Caste (SC) people in the state.
Making the announcement in the Assembly on Tuesday (April 29), Chief Minister MK Stalin said that since the word 'colony' has become a derogatory term, steps will be taken to remove it from government documents.
‘Big relief for students’
Dalit rights organisations in Tamil Nadu have welcomed this move as a big step towards eradicating casteism. It is to be noted that the Kerala government had made a similar decision last year to stop using the word ‘colony’ in its official records.
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Speaking to The Federal, K Thangavel, coordinator of Vizhuthugal, an NGO, said that shedding the word ‘colony’ from official records like address proof would be a great relief for scores of students.
“Many students had earlier complained that they faced discrimination once they revealed the name of their neighbourhood, which ends with the word ‘colony’. When the word is removed from official records and address proof, students will feel free. Many casteist people refer to Dalit children as ‘colony children’. That will change shortly,” Thangavel added.
Colonial baggage
Writer A Jeevakumar said that the word ‘colony’ was in use during the British rule and continued to be used in independent India as the caste system continued to flourish.
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“India was identified as Britain’s colony to denote a country that was full of slaves. Landlords in each area had designated colonies under them. The word continued to be used even after Independence because we still couldn’t come out of the casteist mindset and wanted to dominate a group of people by calling their hamlets ‘colonies’. This word creates an inferiority complex among the people residing there. Now, with this new move, that will end,” he told The Federal.
