There are a few small shops. There is a Public Distribution Shop that opens twice a week. Very few houses have a television set but those that do, have a cable connection. There are very few phones too. There is a shop with a public phone from which you can make local calls. There is no STD booth in the village.

Drinking water is supplied from a panchayat bore-well. Although there are water taps on almost every street, only a few houses have drinking water taps inside.

Rajaih Vairavan runs a small provision store, and has been doing so for 13 years now. Earlier, he worked in Chennai in an aluminium factory.

Except rice, he sells everything else a family would need -- groceries, vegetables, etc. He buys his goods from Panpoli village nearby and from Chengottai town, which is 5 km away.

He offers credit to the villagers and says everyone pays up in a week or 10 days.

While many villagers changed their religion 25 years ago, "I did not do so because I did not feel like it. Whatever religion we practice we still have to work for a living," he says.

There is one panchayat-run primary school in the village that offers Classes 1 to 5. Some 51 students study there.

K Seetharaman has been the school headmaster for six years. He said many students go to the English medium school at the other end of the village. Only very poor students come to his school.

While there are usually an equal number of Hindu and Muslim students, this year has seen a spurt in the number of Muslims students.

"This is a poor area. The land is dry, there is no lake or canal here. You should have a river or lake to have rich fertile land," he points out.

The government provides everything free in the school, including meals, books and uniforms. There are two government teachers and two temporary teachers arranged by the Parent Teachers Association.

Seetharaman said some students, unable either to cope with the English medium school's standard or to afford its high fees, returned to the government-run school.

St Joseph's School is on the outskirts of Meenakshipuram, and has been around for three years. Run till Class 7, the English school plans to take the current batch till the higher secondary level. About 400 students from nearby villages attend this school, some 50 from Meenakshipuram itself.

The school principal, Sister Sahaya Flower, said while students from Meenakshipuram struggle in the first year, they pick up subsequently.

With even primary education being a big deal, most villagers feel they can progress only if some industry comes to the area. As farmers, they say, their future is bleak.

Also see: Who are the real Dalits of India?

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