ATHANUR is a town of a mere 9,000 or so residents (according to a 2001 census), which is pretty small for an Indian town I imagine. It is a 'panchayat' town, which is part of a kind of government conceived by Mohandas Ghandi during the days of British Rule. The idea was to have autonomous power at the local level by officials appointed by a council who would be attentive to the issues that are relevant to that particular area. At the village level, these officals number between 7 and 31. The Caste system prevented the wide adoption of this system in many parts of India, but in some areas it was implemented starting in the 50s and 60s, and given official status in the Indian Constitution in 1993.
Only 55% of Anarthur's residents are literate, lower than the national average. There are 2% more males than females, possibly owing to the culture and poverty of the people in the area -- men can work more, women are a liability because it is necessary to provide them with a dowery when married, and then they are incorporated into the new family and do not support the parents any longer. That is, there is female infanticide.
Pictured is the Indian State of Tamil Nadu and its districts.
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