Rev. Dr. S. Hannah Nesamani D. Div's Page

A Christian Dalit Ministry in India
SPIRIT OF LIFE MISSION : solm_india@yahoo.com
Regd: 2457/2001
No: 412, MIG, 4th main rd, 6th cross st, Mugappair ERI scheme, Mugappair West, Chennai 600 037, Tamilnadu, India
Directors: Rev. Dr. S. Hannah Nesamani and Mr. S. Thambi.
T.H.T.Ranjan and T. Abhishek
We are a multidimensional work of God that is driven by His promise (Joshua 1:5), dedicated to His purpose (Joshua 1:2), anchored by His presence (Joshua 1:9) and bolstered by his power (Joshua 1:6) for bringing hope and succor to the socially and economically deprived and disadvantaged in the Indian society.
SOLM draws its inspiration from the compassion (Mark 6:34) of Christ, the conviction (Matthew 24:35) in His WORD, the challenge (Ephesians 1:11) of His purpose, and the continuity (Psalm 145:13) of His KINGDOM.
In order to realize its vision, SOLM has devised a two pronged approach: carrying out mission work consisting of Church planting, Church Support, Seminars and Workshops for Pastors and Laymen, and Ministering among the Widows and Restitutes labeled CROSS (Compassionately Reaching Out to Single Sisters) and organizing grass roots level development work for socially and economically deprived communities in the villages. In order to carry out the second approach, we have formed a separate secular organization under the Societies Act with a separate registration number and the organization has been christened as ‘The Agency for Community Organization and Social Action’ or ACOSA. This has been done to meet the Government of India requirements as well as to facilitate fund mobilization for development activities on a project-by-project basis.
The succeeding pages highlight some of the activities under the mission work.
Area of Operation of SOLM is based in Chennai, one of the four large metropolitan Cities in India located in the Eastern seaboard state of Tamil Nadu. The enclosed maps of India helps in locating our area of activities.

ACOSA Work
Identification of socially and economically disadvantaged in India has been an easy task as the Indian society has institutionalized the allocation of social and economic roles to its constituents and the Indian caste system is the unique and elaborate form of social stratification system to be seen any where in the world. Historically, Indian society composed of four major varnas, Brahmins, Shatriyas, Vysyas and Shudras. Apart from the four varnas, there is one group that is outside of the pale of this division of labor that also designates a status hierarchy. This group is called by some as ‘outcastes’, (they were also called ‘untouchables’ and in some instances, ‘unapproachables’). This group has been generally relegated to the lowest position socially and assigned only to do dirty, demeaning and dangerous occupations (or the three ‘D’ occupations) and were denied ownership of productive assets. As such, they were dependent entirely on the upper castes for employment and subsistence. Conformity to this system was ensured by the tenets of the Hindu religion, which stressed the importance of performing one’s assigned role and duty in this birth well so that he/she can achieve social and economic mobility in their next birth, sort of a supernatural reward system.
At the time of India’s independence, Indian political leaders recognized the inherent institutionalized inequality in the Indian society and introduced several measures to correct this ‘historical wrong’. The depressed classes were assigned a new label, Scheduled Castes (appearing the schedule of the constitution). Positive discrimination policies (affirmative action) by way of quotas in recruitment to government jobs and places in higher education institutions were provided for in the constitution and several other laws enacted since the implementation of the constitution. However, values and attitudes entrenched in the society over centuries could not be wished away by enacting a very finely drafted constitution and acts and statutes in force since then.
In spite of well-intentioned and thoughtfully crafted policies, a large majority of untouchables continue to suffer from social and economic deprivation and exclusion. Further, they are subject to atrocities of various kinds by the upper castes.
As India lives in its villages (80 percent) and agriculture has been the major industry providing employment to the landless and poor in the villages, most of them being the untouchables. With the introduction of modern agricultural practices and commercialization of agriculture, employment in the rural areas has shrunk. As a result, there is an exodus of rural population towards urban and industrial employment. While members of the upper castes have acquired the necessary physical capital and skills and education (human capital) to compete for and get employment in the modern industrial and service sectors, the untouchables have been unable to do so in view of the continuing deprivation and the uneven opportunity structure in the rural areas which is heavily loaded against them.
Our initial effort has been to look after such left behind Dalits, men and women, and help them acquire certain skills and earn at least a subsistence level income with in the village. We have created awareness about available government welfare programmes for the Dalits and the poor, extended them short term credit so that they could acquire some assets that would enable them to practice the skills imparted to earn a livelihood.
We feel that what we have been able to accomplish enables impoverished and unemployed Dalit and poor families improve their living conditions only to the subsistence levels and keep them tied to the villages. In the absence of education and skill acquisition necessary to compete in the modern industrial and service economy of the country, attaining prosperity through social and economic mobility remains only a dream. That makes it necessary for us to rethink our strategy and revise our vision. We believe that the new strategy should help these unfortunate souls to permanently escape from poverty and social and economic deprivation. The rationale and logic behind our vision, which hinges on improving health, education, and skill enhancement of the Dalits, are outlined below.

Though government funded schools function in most of the villages, Dalit children enrolled in them are often discriminated. The school infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired: inadequate class rooms, teaching materials, frequently absenting teachers makes it well nigh impossible for the children from these schools to compete with those from private and commercialized schools in the cities and towns. Even when the schools are well provided for, homes of Dalit children do not provide a conducive environment for pursuing studies: no physical facilities, often uneducated parents, absence of role models, subsistence living conditions that often drive children to drop out of school to work as child laborers and absenteeism due to ill health and inadequate nutrition. In view of the deprivation and degradation over centuries and overt and covert forms of discrimination in school among teachers as well as fellow students, Dalit children generally lack self-confidence and live in a perpetually hostile social and economic environment that lowers, some times irretrievably, their self-esteem.
Though Government-run schools and health facilities are available, the quality of education (as explained before) and health care remains abysmally poor. As the middle and upper classes have the wherewithal to make use of the private education and health facilities now increasingly available, there is no powerful advocacy groups to represent the voice of the Dalits requiring improvement of the quality of services in Government run health and education institutions. As a result, Dalits and other poor are left to the mercy of the poorly run public services. Government policy makers obviously are of the view that over time the benefits of development eventually would trickle down to the Dalits and the poorer classes of the society. However, in view of the rapid pace of development of mass media in its electronic and print versions, poor and Dalits are witnesses to the emerging consumerism and modern consumption patterns but they themselves do not have the resources to take part in it in order to enhance their quality of life. Such a scenario is likely to create frustration, anger, anguish and disappointment among the Dalits because of relative deprivation, though not due to absolute deprivation when basic needs willy-nilly are met. They become fodder for rapidly spreading Marxist revolutionary movement in several parts of the country. Our vision is to prevent emergence of such a scenario by first providing them quality education and skill enhancement opportunities so that they can be incorporated into the modern economy. Incidentally we hope that such a strategy would also make the field fertile for reaping a good harvest.