The Forests Are Alive With The Sound Of Learning

“Why should school education be subsidised for the poor?” – was a question Kamaraj (CM of Tamil Nadu in the 1950s) was asked – to which he replied, “Education is the only thing that can neither be stolen nor bought” – and brought literacy within the reach of the severely marginalised communities. The mid-day meals scheme in Tamil Nadu was also implemented by him; he knew that children from poor families would not be sent to school – parents would rather they worked, even if it was for a pittance. Providing mid-day meals for children who attended school meant at least one free meal for the youngsters. Schooling was a luxury and not a necessity – especially for those who lived in the forests.

As hunter-gatherers, the Pazhaiyar and Pulaiyar tribes in Tamil Nadu were never the ones to have lived in one village. They led a nomadic life within the forests and glades. In the past, a small measure of paddy was payment they received for grazing the cows owned by the landowners living close by; and the 10 or 20 paise they received for doing odd jobs were treasured.

The Pazhaiyars were engaged in gathering honey, digging for roots like vallikizhangu (a type of yam) and gathering other forest produce, which was their sustenance. A few went away to the nearby towns in the plains – Pazhani, Oddanchatram and Ayakudi – and found employment in the farms growing coconut, guavas and bananas, or in large landholdings. They eventually became bonded labour, unable to pay the usurious interest on their borrowings from their landlords – the practice continuing into a couple of generations. There is an area in the Kodaikanal hills, named B L Shed, short for Bonded Labour Shed – where crude sheds were built to house the indentured workers, who have lived this way for a few generations.

The Pazhaiyars and the Pulaiyars, the original inhabitants of the Kodaikanal forests did not know or realise that the sholas they’ve lived in and shared with the wildlife for centuries actually did not “belong” to them. In the last part of the 1800s or early 1900s, when people of other communities came to settle in the very same forest land and make a living, problems arose. The Pazhaiyars, uneducated and poor, were an inexpensive workforce for both farm and house – even children being put to work.

Siva Santha Kumar, an activist in this area and author of Forest Rights and Human Rights rescued a whole family from this cruelty, as late as in 2000. He spoke about the cruelty the tribals had to endure as bonded labour in the plantations of the hills and often said that “education is essential for the poor and down-trodden to uplift themselves”. The Pazhaiyars came to realise how much they had been marginalised and victimised as they slowly came into contact with the outside world and its stark realities. School and knowledge became a means of empowerment and access to the world.

It was the work of charity foundations like the Arogya Agam, the Sittu Foundation, both in Theni, the Manohari Arogyadas Foundation in Dindigul and others, that helped to spread awareness about the vital importance of schooling and education among the Adivasis.

Even now, the number of Pazhaiyars of the millennial generation who have had high school education is just a handful, but they are well aware of the importance of sending kids to school, some even aspiring for higher education – may be cracking the UPSC or the IITs. There would hardly be 10 or 15 people among the older generation who are graduates; but among the younger lot, most have finished their Class 10/12 and are aiming for college. The government has been proactive in getting the tribal children to attend school, offering scholarships and other incentives; and this has motivated most families. Social activists like Leelavati and Thanaraj who are part of the Tribal Welfare Committee are also invested in the welfare of the Pazhaiyar, Pulaiyar and other tribal communities in the Western Ghats.

Murugeswari Balan is a daily-wage labourer belonging to the Pazhaiyar tribe of the Western Ghats. She will be appearing for her 12th exams next year and is currently being trained by the Forest Department of Tamil Nadu for their FRA project – an international effort to restore land and forest rights due to the original inhabitants.

(This article has been translated by Kamakshi Narayanan)