Freedom fighter’s differently abled Granddaughter seeks permanent home, secure job

A 46-year-old differently abled woman fights for a permanent home and a secure job for 20 years while caretaking elderly mother and grandmother.

Kavitha, a 46-year-old differently abled woman from Melur who moves by crawling due to leg impairment, submitted a petition at the Madurai Collector’s office on Monday, seeking a free house patta and permanent government job.

As the granddaughter of freedom fighter Lakshmanadas, awarded the prestigious Tamra Patra, she has struggled for two decades despite her literate background. Currently, working at a private type-writing shop and surviving on government aid, Kavitha cares for her elderly mother and grandmother amid mounting financial and medical hardships following her father’s early death.

Physically and financially strained, the three women with no permanent home or stable income, daily rent and necessities remain out of reach. “Even a mercy posting at Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple or housing board plot would help, I can build a hut myself and sustain through work,” said Kavitha, who actively aids other differently abled women and widows with petitions and aid access without personal gain, emphasised her readiness to contribute to society if granted basic security.

This plea underscores ongoing challenges for freedom fighters’ kin and differently abled citizens in Tamil Nadu, despite welfare schemes. The Collectorate has received multiple such petitions today, with officials promising to review.