Aathi Thamilar Peravai

thumb|250px|">ATP Symbol and Flag Founder President Adhiyamaan Founded 1994 Head Quarters Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Aathi Thamilar Peravai (ATP) is a people's movement founded by Adhiyamaan in 1994 at Coimbatore district in the west zone of Tamil Nadu, India. Its goals are to re-establish economic, cultural and social status among the "Arunthathiyar" community who are considered outcaste, oppressed by all other caste and non-caste societies and whose living condition is below the poverty line [Elangovan, Ezhil (2002). Arunthathiyar History-Question and Answers. Coimbatore: Aathi Thamizhar Peravai, 60-61.]

Main objectives of ATP

* Caste abolition
* Arunthathiyar liberation
* To eradicate the evil of "manual scavenging"
* To fight against the scourge of Untouchability
* To voice and fight the atrocities against Arunthathiyar

Achievements of ATP

Separate Reservation for Arunthathiyars

Aathi Thamilar Peravai has conducted ten conferences in different districts of Tamil Nadu, namely Coimbatore, Pollachi, Erode, Salem, Madurai, Dindugal, Naamakkal, Theni, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar, in order to request the Tamil Nadu government for a separate reservation of Arunthathiyar. Approximately 36,000 people participated in the conferences, the highlight being the participation of PMK president Mr. G. K. Mani, General Secretary of PMK Mrs. Balasundari, CPM member of the state body Mr. P. Sampath, CPI MLA Mr. Nanmaaran, CPI MP Mr. Subarayan, DMK minister Mrs. Geetha Jeevan, Mr. Kolathoormani, the president of Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and its General Secretary Mr. Ramakrishnan. In addition, the founder president of ATP, Adhiyamaan, met the Tamil Nadu chief minister Mr. M. Karunanidhi at Chennai (12 June 2007) to submit a request for the same. [Citation
last1 = Kalainar | first1 = Karunanidhi
title = Last Page Picture
newspaper = Murasoli
date = 2007-06-13
year = 2007
url = http://www.murasoli.in ] .

ATP obtained much attention from the government with these conferences, as a result of which Item 53 in the Tamil Nadu Governors (Thiru. Surjit Singh Barnala) address at the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on 23rd January 2008, mentioned the need of government to consult all political parties and arrive at a decision on the possibility of providing special reservation for Arunthathiyar within the quota of reservation for Scheduled Castes. [http://www.tn.gov.in/tnassembly/Governors_address_Jan2008.htm] .

Manual Scavenging

Manual scavenging is an extreme evil still prevailing in independent India. People referred to as "Scavengers" who belong to the Arunthathiyar community are forced to do this in spite of the Indian Government passing legislation in 1993 to prevent manual scavenging. The law has not been implemented fully so far. ATP organised a conference on 26 December 2004, at Coimbatore, for the scavenging workers' rehabilitation, mainly to urge the Tamil Nadu state government to take all measures to immediately stop manual scavenging and to make alternative arrangements for the scavenging workers who lost their jobs or gave VRS as per the recommendation of the national scavenging workers' development commission.

References