Kollam: The residents of Alakkukkuzhi in Kollam district of Kerala, had started dreaming of a clean and healthy life ahead as they received the 3.5 cent houses through the Life Mission project. They shifted from their hellish life amid heaps of waste to the new, safe homes with much hope and relief. Despite knowing that they might lose the job they have been doing for the past many generations as launderers once they shifted to the new homes, they went for it.
However, the sudden blow of the COVID pandemic and consequential joblessness has led to miseries and paucity for these washermen, yet again.
The families who were living near Kollam Railway Station premises, under the roofs made of tarpaulin and tin sheets, and just covered by some sheet to serve as a door, in rain and sun, were included in the Life Mission project by the Kollam Corporation. The Corporation build houses for them under the project and they moved in.
However, after they relocated to their new homes, most of them lost their laundry jobs. Even as they were trying to make their ends meet, the COVID 19 pandemic and a complete lockdown came as a bolt from the blue. The times of paucity began yet again for the Alakkukuzhi residents.
Sreenivasan, a 90-year-old man, has been working as a washerman for the past 60 years. He lives with his wife and his daughter in law. He commutes many kilometres to bring the clothes to be washed. As her son lost his job, Padma another resident here, who is aged and unwell, has no means for medicines and even food.
Amid all the struggles, the Alakkukkuzi launderers wash and dry the clothes whenever they get any work, though irregularly. With changing times and the arrival of power laundry machines in such towns, the number of people who give to clothes to the manual launderers is also very few. This has badly affected the livelihood of the Alakkukuzhi launderers.
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