I have stopped five child marriages: T. Pashupathi
Pashupathi was recently elected as president of panchayat at Usilampatti
Chennai: T. Pashupathi (40) from Madurai district regrets that she got married at a tender age of 12. She was studying only in class five, when her parents married her off. Her husband is a farmer and has been paralysed for the last one year due to an accident. .
She was recently elected as president of panchayat at Usilampatti. She rose to fame among villagers after she had stopped five child marriages at her village. Referring to a child marriage incident she said," The girl was only 16 and the family forced her to get married. I stopped it with the help of the Collector and police. I vehemently oppose child marriage as I suffered from it. I could not continue my studies after that. I feel sad about it. So I took up this cause."
She also stopped child labour in her village. " It was through the villagers' support as well as that of my family that I became panchayat president." Before become the panchayat head, she used to sell milk cans. She still continues this profession. Her monthly income is Rs.1000. She says she tries to help monetarily students who are unable to pay school fees. Her achievements are more. She was able to lay a tar road in the place of a kutcha road and erect four bore wells and solar streetlights. After finishing the present tenure, she wants to contest the panchayat election again.