Freed from bondage in Sivaganga, shepherd reunites with family after 16 years
A resident of the Parvathipuram Manyam district in Andhra Pradesh, Appa Rao, who was engaged as a bonded labourer for grazing sheep in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district, lost track of his family.
Appa Rao, the rescued bonded labourer, meets with his daughter and son-in-law, at Sivaganga Collectorate on Friday
CHENNAI: After nearly 16 years, an elderly man who was recently rescued from bondage reunited with his family on Friday.
A resident of the Parvathipuram Manyam district in Andhra Pradesh, Appa Rao, who was engaged as a bonded labourer for grazing sheep in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district, lost track of his family. His reunion was made possible due to efforts taken by officials.
It was on January 31 that officials of the district task force rescued Appa Rao, who was spotted grazing a herd of sheep in Kandamkulam village Sivaganga’s Kalayarkoil taluk, from bondage. He was made to stay in a home for orphans and destitute elders, while officials took efforts to trace his family.
DT Next carried an article - Freed from 25 yrs of bondage, man searches for kin - on March 14, highlighting how the elderly man’s ignorance was exploited, and he was kept under the clutches of bondage all these years. Though he was yearning to return to his family, his employer kept him under bondage and not paid a penny as wage for all these years. He was detached from his family when he inadvertently alighted from the train on his way to Puducherry for a cup of tea.
Following his rescue, Sivaganga Collector Asha Ajith took the initiative and reached her counterpart Shyam Prasad in Andhra Pradesh’s Parvathipuram Manyam district to trace his family. After nearly two months of sustained efforts of the authorities, they traced Appa Rao’s daughter Dombu Dora Sayamma (30) and her husband Dombu Dora Chanchu in their native village Parvathipuram.
Collector Prasad arranged a vehicle for the family to reach Sivaganga and deputed a team of officials to facilitate the reunion of the family. “At collectorate, Appa Rao met his daughter and son-in-law at about 11 am on Friday. It was an overwhelming feeling to see the elderly man reunited with his family,” said Assistant Commissioner of Labour E Muthu, who was one of the members of the rescue team.
Appa Rao has a grandchild who is 17 years old now. “Appa Rao left his home when his grandson was one-year-old,” the officer said and continued that the department had already deposited Rs 30,000 after opening a bank account as part of the rehabilitation programme. Another Rs 3 lakh - Rs 1 lakh from the Collector’s fund and Rs 2 lakh from sponsors - was included as fixed deposit in Appa Rao’s account.
