Ammankulam South: An Epitome of Brotherhood & Change

A slum in Coimbatore sets up as an example on the importance of community building and the power of brotherhood in elevating the lives of the people

Bhuvanesh Chandar

(Originally written in January 2020 as a part of my ACJ curriculum. All photos and data were taken with the permission of the appropriate authority/resident/parents)

For someone living in a city like Coimbatore, stepping into Ammankulam South, located near Puliakulam, will shatter the image of a “slum” that our society has ingrained in their minds. No, it doesn’t mean that there are no houses here which look impoverished, but the change in the image that one needs to look into is not on the outlook, but rather on the scope of the drastic development in the livelihood and nature of the people living here.

Ammankulam South is located on the Puliakulam Road, near Dhamu Nagar in Puliakulam, Coimbatore. Pastor Stanley, who settled here in 1969, while talking about how things were at that time, said “There weren’t many houses. In 1969, hardly 10 families used to live here. Initially, this land was given by the government to the Navy to build a defence school, and they also wanted to build a government hospital. But they deemed the land to be unfit for both and instead they built a housing quarters and people started settling around the quarters. That’s how it all began”. According to the Slum Clearance Board in Coimbatore, the last known number of families living in Ammankulam South was 304. This report was taken in the 80s. The officials stated that approximately 200-300 more families would have been added ever since. Due to the lack of verifiable data, it is necessary to take this info with a pinch of salt. 

Pastor Stanley also added Ammankulam South faced a lot of hurdles in those initial years. “There was no proper water access nor did we have electricity here. People used to walk till more than four kms, sometimes, to fetch water. I have walked as far as the Coimbatore railway station to fetch water,” he said.

While talking about how the name Ammankulam came about, Glory Sargunam, a resident of Ammankulam South, who settled here in 1972, stated that there was a kulam (pond) here, and gradually people started to build houses on top of it. Surprisingly, in spite of being built over a water source, access to water used to be a serious issue to the residents of Ammankulam South.

However water doesn’t even appear in the list of problems that Glory lists as the problems that the slum suffers from. “The biggest concern here is the excessive alcoholism and drug abuse amongst teenagers and school children. There’s a wine shop just ahead in the main road, and in the evenings, most people go there to drink before even entering the streets. We try to educate and advise them. We pray for them,” she said. Glory’s eyes widened when she pointed towards her next door neighbour and said “That man has five children. He used to drink every day and all of the Rs 150 he got as daily wage went to the alcohol. Things have changed now. We advised him and forced him to quit drinking.” 

Marijuana abuse is a huge concern in Puliakulam. Just a few weeks back, a teen had committed suicide in Ammankulam South, allegedly in an inebriated state, after someone jokingly said “Why don’t you kill yourself?” While commenting about this, Glory informed us that drug peddlers from outside the slum, sometimes even enter the streets to sell Ganja. Fortunately, the residents of the slum have garnered the support of the police in curbing this issue. “Police have instructed us to call them in case of any emergency or disturbance caused by these kids who consume Ganja. Just a few days back, they arrested a teen for consumption of Ganja. But it was me who pleaded to take the case back. Imagine what would happen if kids go to jail at such a tender age. Their entire life will be affected.” added Glory.

However, Pastor Stanley contradicted with Glory’s statements regarding the gravity of this issue and stated that such issues have gone down now due to the efforts of the eagle-eyed police.

Even though it is saddening to know that school children also indulge in such activities, education, on the other hand, is a positive feature that shines light on the children of Ammankulam South. “Since the slum is at the centre of the city, there are many schools and colleges here,” said Ashwin, a final year MBA student. There are two government schools for boys and girls, and a government-approved private school as well. Near the slum, there is an Antony’s school for boys and a Teresa school for girls, ALG matriculation, and a CSI school for boys and a CSI school for girls. There are five colleges nearby to the slum, namely, Bishop Appasamy College, Government Arts College, Hindustan College and PSG Engineering College. In Ammankulam South, there are no dropouts from school. “The parents somehow manage to get their children through school education” said Glory Sargunam.

A very positive feature of Ammankulam South is that, even though most roads are filled with potholes, they are all clean and tidy streets. There were a few places where garbage was dumped disorderly, however, the majority of the streets were clean, except for the sewage water that was running parallel in the street-side drains. All households in the slum have proper toilet facilities. Moreover there are two public toilets on the main road near the slum. Every household are given two sets of plastic dustbins for garbage disposal. A garbage truck goes around the streets, every morning, collecting the garbage from the bins. Hygiene, however, is an issue here. It is hard to miss the kids playing cricket on the streets with a ball that is soaked in the sewage water that runs in the drains. The slum also suffers from the problem of too many stray dogs.

However, Pastor Stanley stated that “Ammankulam South is not affected by any infectious diseases nowadays”. He also stated that “Five years ago, Chikungunya created a huge problem here, but the patients were immediately treated and ever since there has been no diseases. In fact, compared to many other areas in Coimbatore, Ammankulam South is majorly mosquito-free, which is surprising because quite often the drains here get clogged and water stagnates here and there.”

The slum also has easy access to the nearby private hospitals. However, since the nearest government hospital is a bit far, it becomes a worrisome affair to the elderly of the slum. “Rich people can afford to go to private hospitals, but the poor and the elderly need to walk all the way to that government hospital,” said Glory. 

Malfunctioning street lights cause a major problem to the residents in the night. However, other amenities like gas and milk are regularly provided to the residents. 

While commenting about the employment opportunities here, Glory said, “Even though employment is on and off, the residents are somehow managing to find some job as a painter or a construction worker, or as a mechanic in the nearby Mahendra industries”. Moreover, a major positive aspect of the slum that is to be appreciated is that there are hardly any incidents pertaining to the safety of women in the streets. “We treat each other as brothers and sisters. Hence there are hardly any such issue here,” said Jothimani, a resident.

A slum which once was poor and deprived, is now a colony with no one living under the poverty line. All children are being educated, and people manage to get jobs as well. There are hardly any incidents of violence or ruckus here. Women’s safety is prioritised and economy of the residents are getting better and better.  How is this possible? What is that one thing that stands out in this slum? Everyone seems to point towards the sense of brotherhood that unites all the residents. “This is a Christian majority area, however, we also have Hindus and Muslims, and there is harmony here. We all participate in each other’s functions and if there is any problem, we all get together to solve it.” said Pastor Stanley.

“Ammankulam South is a very special place,” said Pastor Stanley. It certainly is.