In June, the unfortunate plight of K Uthamakumaran got attention after Times of India published a report on how the COVID lockdown had affected the 34-year-old lawyer who hails from the tribal malai kuruvar community. Uthamakumaran was the first person from his family to have graduated with a degree in law; he was practicing in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. However the lockdown had rendered him helpless and unable to sustain himself. Which is when he decided to go back to his family tradition of weaving baskets for a living.
Now, Chief Justice PR Ramachandra Menon of the Chhattisgarh High Court has stepped in and gifted Uthamakumaran with Rs 10,000 for his contribution and efforts.
On 14 July, Bar and Bench reported that Chief Justice PR Menon, along with the money, also sent Uthamakumaran a letter in which he wrote, "This is not a donation or a contribution out of any sympathy, but a 'gift' you deserve in recognition and appreciation of your concept/commitment to the 'dignity of labour'"
Uthamakumaran lives in Thennankudi, Tamil Nadu. He is married and has a seven-year-old son. The lockdown had depleted all his savings and rendered him penniless in May. He had told TOI that he was willing to do any kind of work to support his family but the only other work he could do was his "ancestral vocation of weaving baskets." So that's what he did.
Uthamakumaran's story is probably that of many Indians. The pandemic has rendered many people unemployed, with no regular sources of income. For the migrant workers of the country, the situation is even worse.
(With inputs from Times of India and Bar and Bench)
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