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A Ganesh Nadar

A war of words

The three villages of Panickanadarkudieruppu, south Nalumadi and east Nalumadi have a joint agricultural society. This society is said to have existed more than a hundred years. Its assets have a peculiar slant - 54 per cent belongs to SN, 33 per cent to PNK and 13 per cent to EN. Nobody knows why SN has been favoured in this manner.

Some people say that, when the society was formed, 54 per cent of the agricultural land must have belonged to SN. Others say there might have been more families in that village. Nobody really knows.

For more than hundred years, this society ran on a no profit, no loss basis. The fields were taxed and the taxes spent. Nobody knew how. Anyone who asked questions was shouted down.

A decade ago, all this changed. A few elders in the villages realised the funds of the agricultural society were benefiting only a few people, instead of the village as a whole. So they handed over the society S Rajaratnam and M Ramasundram from PNK. The former was made the new president and the latter, the secretary. Apart from being good farmers, they were honest people.

At the end of the decade, the agricultural society had Rs 500,000 in the bank. M Ramasundaran, who was getting old, resigned and MRG took over as secretary. The president remained the same. Now the Rs 500,000 in the bank was causing rumbles in SN. "Fifty-four per cent of that amount belongs to us and they are lording over it," was the general feeling.

In the panchayat elections held in 1996, a Nalumadi candidate had beaten a PNK man. This emboldened them. A special meeting was called in SN. Sendurpandi was elected leader and a village committee was set up. They resolved to recover their dues from the agricultural society.

It was seven in the morning. Rajarathinam was yawning outside his house. The Nalumadi school watchman came to him, "Sir, the Nalumadi village elders wish to meet you." Rajarathnam did not went an argument inside his house. He said he would meet them at his rice mill in the evening.

At 6 pm, the gleaming white Mercedez Benz left PNK for Kurumbur. Rajaratnam was accompanied by Ganesh and Sankaravel, a PNK man from Bombay.

They reached the rice mill and made themselves comfortable. Rajaratnam said, "I don't want the two of you to interfere, you must not start a fight." Ganesh and Sankaravel dutifully walked out.

The SN delegation walked in. There were 15 of them. As there wasn't enough space inside the office, 10 sat down and five waited outside. Prominent members of the delegation were Nalumadi leader Sendurapandi, panchayat president Murugesan, Shunmugam and Thangadurai.

They came to the point immediately, "We want 54 per cent of the agricultural funds."

"It was decided that only the interest can be spent," said Rajaratnam.

"What was decided a decade ago does not hold true today," said Sendurpandi. "I bring rice and you bring husk, and now you want to share. That's not possible," said Rajarathnam. What he meant was that they were not entitled to a 54 per cent share as their agricultural holdings were lesser now.

Murugesan said, "You are disputing a percentage that has been accepted for more than a hundred years."

"When you dispute something that was decided a decade ago, why can't I challenge something that was decided in the last century?"

"We cannot make a decision without consulting EN," said Rajarathnam.

"Fine, we'll call a general body meeting on January 16,"'said Senthurpandi. Everybody agreed.

As they were leaving, Rajaratnam told the president. "You disconnected the water supply to our school. I haven't forgotten that." Murugesan did not reply.

In Kurumbur, Alagesan fumed, "We'll change the president of the agricultural society." The other side geared to change the secretary. A third front decided the money in the bank should be first divided.

Meanwhile, an uneasy village waited for Pongal, which would be followed by the agriculture society's meeting. It promised both violence and bitterness. The contestants sharpened their claws.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier