Thandora: A Magazine for Slum Dwellers

Thandora:A Magazine for slum dwellers !

Image via Wikipedia : Chennai Central Railway Station nearby river Koovam

If somebody frowns at the idea of a magazine for slum dwellers, I can’t help it.But a magazine is already out for slum dwellers.Three issues of the magazine have already been published, ever since the magazine has begun its publication once in three months.

The magazine published in Tamil language, is exclusively meant for slum dwellers covering the people living in the slum area who have all along been living on the bank of river ‘Koovam’ in Chennai.The main source of the river Koovam is the drainage that emanate from the Chennai city dwellers.You can very well imagine about the environment in which those slum dwellers have been living.

Though the idea of a magazine for slum dwellers has been hovering around from the year 2007, it has been given a concrete shape and form only recently through some of the slum dwellers. Iraiarasu, the son of a scavenger working in the Chennai metro is the editor of the magazine, who writes the editorial and some important cover stories.The magazine is published in 24 pages, priced at Rs 5/- for each magazine.It is published every quarterly.Articles contributed by some knowledgeable slum dwellers are also published.The magazine is funded out of the donations contributed by the slum dwellers as well as subscriptions.

The slum dwellers magazine is published with the title ‘Thandora’ which means ‘drum’, published to spread the message across the slum dwellers focusing on their issues and profiles. The editor of the magazine is really concerned about the apathy shown towards the slum dwellers over a period of sixty years, despite making repeated promises made by various political parties and governments.What they have got so far are only fringe benefits but nothing substantial so far to lift their life and living standards.The slum dwellers have always been remaining the slum dwellers. Let us hope that the magazine renders justice at least to high light their issues and problems.

If a movie focusing on slum dogs could win laurels like Oscars, why not a magazine that comes out highlighting and focusing on the issues of slum dwellers!