Recruitment of female oduvars stopped after 2006

TIRUCHY: The only woman oduvar in the state, S Angayarkanni, said no female oduvar was recruited after 2006, and hence, she remains the lone woman oduvar in the State. “There were 15 students in my batch who studied Tirumarai, a collection of hymns and writings of South Indian Saivite saints in the Government Music School, and except me no one has been appointed so far,” she said.According to an official in the HR&CE department, the recruitment for the post was stopped as it was hard to find oduvars with experience. He said the oduvar post was equal to a junior assistant grade post and they are supposed to be given a basic pay of `4,000.About the lower salary being paid to Angayarkanni, the official said her appointment could be on a contractual basis and not on a timescale basis. Angayarkanni too agrees that her appointment was made on a contractual basis and she may get a salary on par with her counterparts only if she was regularised, which the government had not done despite several petitions.But she is firm in her decision to dedicate her life to the sacred duty despite the meagre amount through which she was managing the family, including her parents and sister.