Pandiyankuppam, near Chinnasalem in Kallakurichi district, recently witnessed a festive gathering of its residents not seen for more than a decade. The village hogged the limelight by holding its first Gram Sabha meeting on May 1, after a gap of nearly 11 years. The last meeting was held in 2012 when the village was part of the composite Villupuram district.
After years of tension, members of two communities shook hands, sat alongside each other, and took part in the Gram Sabha proceedings. The biggest binding factor in this initiative was the persistent efforts of the district administration and the Directorate of Rural Development at ending the hostilities.
Pandiyankuppam has three communities (the MBCs, the Scheduled Castes and the Arunthathiyars). Of them, representatives of the MBCs and the Scheduled Castes had been at loggerheads since 2012, effectively derailing decisions, meant for common good, taken at the Gram Sabha meetings, which are held on four occasions every year.
