“Adivasis no longer walk among the elephants without fear” – Human animal conflict on the rise – Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Chhattisgarh

On March 30 [2012], Kokila, an Adivasi woman, was collecting firewood with a few friends near Kozhikolly village in the Devala area of Gudalur taluk, 50 km below Udhagamandalam, when she was charged by an angry elephant. It hurled her to the ground. Mercifully, I hope, she died instantly. The elephant kicked her around like … Read more

“My paintings show my lived experiences and all that is happening in the world around me”: Tribal forms in a contemporary world –  Chhattisgarh

Source: “Chasing dreams with art” by Jitha Karthikeyan, The New Indian Express, 20 July 2023URL: https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2023/jul/20/chasing-dreams-with-art-2596489.htmlDate Visited: 4 October 2023

Gandhi’s profound religious belief and sensibility – Gandhi Jayanti (2 October)

It may be argued that what is more representative of his outlook is the stupendously radical idea that if the Muslim prays, he should pray that not that the Hindu should become a Muslim but rather a better Hindu; that if the Hindu prays, he should pray not that the Muslim should return to the … Read more

Tip | Search articles on tribal history, politics and literature on Ramachandra Guha’s website

We met adivasis who had been persecuted by the Naxalites, and other adivasis who had been tormented by the Salwa Judum vigilantes [i.e. “a strange, not to say bizarre, example of bipartisan co-operation“]. The situation of the community was poignantly captured by one tribal, who said […] “placed between the Maoists and the vigilantes, we … Read more

The Todas, their cultural traditions and the Nilgiri biosphere – Tamil Nadu

Dharmalingam Venugopal (Honorary Director of Nilgiri Documentation Centre) writes in The Hindu, September 17, 2011: The Todas and the Kotas of the Nilgiris have managed to preserve their strikingly unique culture in the face of relentless development. […] The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations has deferred India’s request to declare the Western Ghats as … Read more