Deccan Chronicle story features in Aamir Khan show
Bollywood star Aamir Khan was stunned when he heard of the Deccan Chronicle story from Tamil Nadu about elders being killed by their own families in a barbaric ritual known as thalaikoothal (giving oil bath and killing the elders).
I spoke about my report on this practice on his Satyameva Jayatey programme telecast on Sunday. The show once again raised the issue of elders being ill-treated by their families.
A tip-off from social activists on mysterious deaths of elders in districts down south sent me to Virudhunagar villages in 2009. The spoor led to several homes that had ‘celebrated’ thalaikoothal in recent months. Some of them had opted for the easier option of getting quacks give lethal injections.
In some cases, the elders were fed poisoned food by their own children. Introducing myself as a researcher, I gathered information and video evidence of this barbaric practice that still prevailed in this modern age, in a society that is supposed to respect elders.
When I spoke about my thalaikoothal story, Aamir and the large Satyameva Jayatey audience could not believe their ears. I narrated how I had shot video on my mobile phone to record the readiness of a couple of quacks to give lethal injection to my ‘fictitious’ grandpa for a fee.
Aamir appreciated that the DC story spurred the government to get the village administrative officers to monitor the well-being of the elders, and that DC followed up on it subsequently.
Even now, several elders’ groups call up Deccan Chronicle to share their happy, and sad, tales. Aamir said journalism that awakened society was the ‘real hero’.
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