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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}{{Infobox settlement
| name = Kameswaram
| other_name = Thirupoondi East
| settlement_type = Village
| image_skyline =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| nickname =
| image_map =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
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| coordinates = {{coord|10.61|N|79.83|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = India
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = Nagapattinam
| subdivision_type3 = Taluk
| subdivision_name3 = Kilvelur
| subdivision_type4 = Ooratchi Ondriyam
| subdivision_name4 = Keezhaiyur
| subdivision_type5 = Pincode
| subdivision_name5 = 611110
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type = Grama Panchayat
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
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| population_total = 56,00

| population_as_of =
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = Indian
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code = 611110
| registration_plate = TN-51
| blank1_name_sec1 = [[Lok Sabha]] constituency
| blank1_info_sec1 = Nagapattinam
| blank2_name_sec1 = [[Legislative Assembly]] constituency
| blank2_info_sec1 =Kilvelur
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Kameswaram''' is a coastal village in the [[Nagapattinam District]] of [[Tamil Nadu]] state in [[India]]. It is referred to as Thirupoondi East in government records. In 2018, it was one of the villages heavily affected by [[Cyclone Gaja]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ganesan |first=S. |date=2018-11-27 |title=Gaja worse than tsunami, say fisherfolk |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/gaja-worse-than-tsunami-say-fisherfolk/article25601392.ece |access-date=2020-04-18 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

Earlier, the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]] had also destroyed much of the village, taken lives and negatively impacted its residents, mostly fishermen, farmers, shop keepers and labourers.

== Geography and demographics ==

Kameswaram contains nine administrative wards: Vairavankadu – I, Vairavankadu – II, Vettar Kadu, Meenavar Theru, Anaiyan Thoppu, Kallar Nagar, Sivan Koil Theru, Melakkadu, and Thandava Moorthi Kadu. There are 39 temples and a church spread over the nine wards. There are 61 traditional village ponds which are used to harvest rain water. The population of the village is heterogeneous including predominantly low-income and traditionally marginalized communities. According to the [[2011 census of India]] , Kameswaram comprises about 1535 households.

== Facilities ==

=== Anganwadis and Schools ===

There are four functioning [[Anganwadi]]s to take care of toddlers (from the age of 2) while their parents go to work. There are three government primary schools run by the village Panchayat. In addition, there is a government aided St. Sebastian Primary School. Finally, there are two private schools: the St. Valanar Primary School and the St Sebastian High school.

'''Nursing School and Dialysis Center'''

The Fundación Esperanza y Alegría of Spain set up the COHAJ hospital in Kameswaram in [https://fundacionesperanzayalegria.org/ongoing-projects/cohaj-hospital/ 2008]. It now serves as a Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife training centre and offers dialysis services to local patients.

=== Sanitation, Eco-Innovation and a Rural Living Lab ===

In the aftermath of the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|tsunami]] Kameswaram was helped by many NGOs and international agencies, who left once their projects were completed. However, the NGO, Friend In Need India Trust or FIN <ref>{{Cite web |title=Friend In Need India Trust (FIN) – Sanitation, Waste Management and Hygiene Behaviour for Health and Climate resilience |url=https://www.friend-in-need.org/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |language=en-GB}}</ref> created by the academic Shyama V. Ramani, decided to remain in the village,<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzHV4SIli_M |title=Toilet revolution: Shyama V. Ramani at TEDxMaastricht |date=2014-05-11 |last=TEDx Talks |access-date=2025-05-14 |via=YouTube}}</ref> and open a Living Rural Lab for the development and introduction of pro-poor innovations to improve access to sanitation and clean water, community waste management as well as gender equality. FIN’s stewardship in Kameswaram mainly involved facilitating the construction, diffusion and improvement of existing [[Ecological sanitation]] models. The impact of the activities of Friend In Need Trust has been a notable reduction in open defecation and related diseases,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ramani |first=Shyama V. |date=2020 |title=On consortium driven sanitation interventions to end open defecation: insights from an Indian village study |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2157930X.2019.1580934 |journal=Innovation and Development |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=245–261 |doi=10.1080/2157930X.2019.1580934 |via=Google Scholar|url-access=subscription }}</ref> improvement in adolescent health and school attendance,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ramani |first1=Shyama V. |last2=Frühauf |first2=Timothée |last3=Dutta |first3=Arijita |date=2017 |title=On Diarrhoea in Adolescents and School Toilets:Insights from an Indian Village School Study |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220388.2016.1277017 |journal=The Journal of Development Studies |volume=53 |issue=11 |pages=1899–1914 |doi=10.1080/00220388.2016.1277017 |via=Google scholar|url-access=subscription }}</ref> increased awareness and adoption of ecological and circular economy principles<ref>{{Cite web |title=PechaKucha 20x20 |url=https://stagingwww.pechakucha.com/presentations/simple-as-abc-art-for-behavioural-change |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=stagingwww.pechakucha.com}}</ref> and replication of the sanitation model in other rural contexts. In 2007, Kameswaram village received the [[Nirmal Gram Puraskar]] or Clean Village award,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Venkatesh |first=Sangeeta |date=August 18, 2014 |title=Kameshwaram's Unique Toilet Technology |url=https://cleanindiajournal.com/kameshwarams-unique-toilet-technology/ |work=Clean India Journal}}</ref> heralding that its residents were ready to make the behavioural switch from open defecation to toilet usage. Since then, Kameswaram has been the site of multiple academic research studies contributing to reflections on inclusive innovation, development interventions and sanitation policy. <ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ramani |first1=Shyama V. |last2=SadreGhazi |first2=Shuan |last3=Duysters |first3=Geert |date=2012 |title=On the diffusion of toilets as bottom of the pyramid innovation: Lessons from sanitation entrepreneurs |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040162511001314 |journal=Technological Forecasting and Social Change |volume=79 |issue=4 |pages=676–687 |doi=10.1016/j.techfore.2011.06.007 |via=Google Scholar|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Ramani |first1=Shyama V. |last2=Bruder |first2=Maximilian |date=August 11, 2023 |title=How ChatGPT might be able to help the world's poorest and the organisations that work with them |url=https://theconversation.com/how-chatgpt-might-be-able-to-help-the-worlds-poorest-and-the-organisations-that-work-with-them-203287 |access-date= |work=The Conversation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ramani |first1=Shyama V. |last2=SadreGhazi |first2=Shuan |last3=Gupta |first3=Suraksha |date=2017 |title=Catalysing innovation for social impact: The role of social enterprises in the Indian sanitation sector |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040162516304735 |journal=Technological Forecasting and Social Change |volume=121 |pages=216–227 |doi=10.1016/j.techfore.2016.10.015 |via=Google Scholar|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Nagapattinam-geo-stub}}

[[Category:Villages in Nagapattinam district]]

Kameswaram - Revision history

Riya parik: adding entry!