KOTTAYAM: The fear of Ooruvilakku (excommunication) reportedly led to the suicide of three members of a family at Keezanthoor near Marayur in Idukki district on Tuesday. The father, mother and daughter of the family ended their lives fearing that the local community may ostracise them as their son had married a girl belonging to another community at Udumalpetta. The ‘ooruvilakku’ has existed in the Anchu-nadu villages of Kanthalloor, Keezhan-thoor, Marayur and Karayur in Idukki district and at Kottakudi village in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, 120 km from Kanthalloor, ever since they had migrated from Madurai district a few centuries back.
The state government had given them the status of 'Anchunadu Vellalar' a couple of years ago. Till then the community had no caste in any of their official documents. "This prevented them from getting government jobs, since they could not fill up the caste portion in their certificates. Later, they were given the OBC 'Anchunadu Vellalar' community status," Mr Rajan, a native of Marayur, told DC. However, local people of Keezhanthoor panchayat denied that ‘ooruvilakku’ existed there.
"There was a custom in the region that the members should not marry from outside their community. However, that custom does not exist at the Anchunadu villages now. Many marry from outside the community nowadays and there is no retribution against them," Mr N. Madhavan, former president of the Kanthalloor panchayat and a member of the community, told DC. However, five years ago a person in Keezhanthoor village was excommunicated from the village and his family is now living at Marayur panchayat, though his wife died recently.
"The practice prevails in Anchunadu villages, but in the latest incident no ‘ooruvilakku’ was imposed on the family,” Mr K. Sreenivasan, a local CPI(M) leader, told DC. The 'ooruvilakku' is imposed by the leaders of a particular village at a public meeting when the villagers are barred from cooperating with the person concerned. The villagers are not allowed to speak with the excommunicated person and they will not even attend the funeral in the family. However, the order is applicable only in one’s village and the victims used to move out to another village.
