We are working with the Make a Difference (MaD) initiative to organise a cycling fund-raiser for our work around ‘elephants in the matrix’. The ‘conflict vs coexistence’ (and larger sharing vs sparing) debate is of course vibrant, but most our work is in human dominated/matrix habitats in the Nilgiris. Elephants and people have always been here, and will continue to … Read more
`Guda’ ready for screening The shooting of the `Guda’, perhaps the first film in the tribal language of the `Kattunaikkars’, has been completed and the film is all set for screening by the middle of December. K.J. Baby, the director and scriptwriter of `Guda’, said that the film would screened before an invited audience, most … Read more
In the matter of poverty, group inequality is still a matter of concern for Kerala as we see in the following chapter: Absolute deprivation continues to be largely concentrated among the marginalised communities, such as the tribals (adivasi) and fishing community […] and the hiatus between the Scheduled Castes and non-Scheduled Castes is a distressing … Read more
By Mari Marcel Thekaekara, New Internationalist, June 1, 2012 After my last blog, lots of people wrote to me saying ‘we wish we could attend your Chembakolli party too’. Well, I wish you could too. So, the next best thing, I thought I’d tell you about it. I’d suggested some adivasi friends visit us for a change, … Read more
The Vidyodaya School Tucked away in the Blue Mountains, close to Ooty, the tourist destination of Tamil Nadu in southern India, is the small sleepy town of Gudalur, the home town of Rama and B. Ramdas. Gudalur is a land of tea, coffee and pepper. The region is home to the Betta Kurumba, Mullu Kurumba, … Read more