Rohingyas in TN tackle lockdown blues, pine for better living conditions

Tucked away in a calm suburb of Kelambakkam, the air in the Rohingya Muslim refugees camp was abuzz with preparations by several men for making a delicious porridge to break the daily Ramzan fast.

Sporting an infectious smile,Mohammed Ayub welcomes a neighbour even as he breaks up vermicelli noodles from packs strewn around and drops them in a huge vessel with boiling water as another man places firewood in the makeshift earthen stove.

A 'cutting master' (butcher) in a nearby chicken-cum- mutton outlet, 22-year-old Ayub says he thanks God to pray and fast peacefully in the holy month of Ramadan after a 'bitter' phase in his native land of Myanmar.

"Tamil Nadu bahuth pasandh hai," (I like Tamil Nadu very much) he says as his curious children look on.

Ayub is oneamong those who came to Tamil Nadu in 2016 following a stay in Jammu and Kashmir for some time.

They had reached the hill territory following a perilous journey from Myanmar.

"I am happy and thank God for having a job even during the days of the lockdown. The stall I work is open till afternoon from 9 AM and I earn about Rs 10,000 and try to make ends meet," he says with a laugh when asked if his earnings have been affected due to curbs.

A cyclone shelter building at Kelambakkam, which was recently given a fresh coat of paint, is the current home of nearly 100 Rohingyas who belong to 18 families.

The neighbourhood is on the way to Mamallapuram, about 25 km from Tiruvanmiyur in south Chennai.

While some Rohingya men work as butchers, some are helpers in restaurants and others do odd jobs like delivering goods on their fish carts.

The refugees, who hail from regions, including Maungdan in Myanmar, have registered with the Foreigners Registration Office (Police Superintendent), in Kancheepuram and have a Residential Permit issued by the authorities.

Yearning for relief from the sweltering heat, while several men have bath in an open enclosure in front of the building , Yusuf, a delivery man in the local market, moves his tri-cycle cart to a nearby lane to carry out repairs.

"There was no work for more than a month," Yusuf says.

Asked how he manages, he says "it is difficult, we somehow tackle."
Recently, when some of them arrived here after visiting their relatives in other States, there was a "concern about the probability of them having contracted coronavirus."
Refugees are given all essential commodities and now they have supplies that will last for two months....also, periodically the premises is inspected to redress grievances."