A recent study report on the nomadic tribes in Tamil Nadu revealed that they face severe discrimination in their daily lives, restricting access to schools, public infrastructure, government offices, and essential services. The report titled ‘Status of Nomadic Tribes in Tamil Nadu’, was released by Thoothukudi MP Kanmozhi Karunanidhi on September 6 in Chennai, and it details how nomadic tribes including Narikuravar, Lambadas, Boom Boom Maatukarar - Aadiyan, and Kattunaykars face persistent stigma.
“We selected fifteen settlements in these eight districts as geographically diverse locations to ensure that the issues of the nomadic tribal communities all over the state are represented”, the report noted. The comprehensive participatory study was carried out by Vanavil Trust, a Nagapattinam-based NGO that works among the Aadiyan community, in collaboration with Praxis, and with the support of the Research Organisation for Social Action (ROSA) and the Empowerment Centre of Nomads & Tribes (TENT).
Conducted between 2021 and 2022 in eight districts, namely Cuddalore, Krishnagiri, Mayiladuthurai, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, and Tiruvannamalai, the study covered a sample of 1485 households in 15 villages. Of the 1485 households, 707 families were from the Lambada community, 490 families from the Boom Boom Mattukkarar community, 206 families from the Narikkuravar community, and 82 families from the Kaatunayakkar community.
The report also gave pointed observations about the various factors affecting the lives of nomadic tribals in Tamil Nadu, and laid down recommendations to address them.
Lack of access to schools
The report revealed that the number of children from these four communities in primary schools is usually higher than the number of them pursuing secondary education. “Almost all the children who dropped out of school mentioned discrimination as one of the major factors,” the report noted, adding that many students leave school education in order to help their family by looking for jobs that pay.
The report also listed the lack of community certificates as one of the main restrictions faced by children when it comes to accessing education. The schools they enroll in are usually far away from their settlements, and this exacerbates the discrimination against them on account of caste, occupation, food habits, language, and academic performance. Children are therefore not able to form friendships with students from other communities at school. The stigma attached to Nomadic Tribes (NT) and Denotified Tribal (DNT) communities being painted as criminals in society also makes the situation worse.
Further, the report revealed that 27% of the children in the school-going age bracket were not enrolled in any school. Out of the 73% of the children who were going to the school, 53% of them reported facing caste discrimination by teachers and fellow students.
When it comes to completing school education, data showed that almost all the nomadic hamlets had at least one person who completed high school with a Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC). Of the 15 villages, only two hamlets had no persons who cleared grade 12 exams. Nine villages of 15 had graduates, and while detailing the findings, Vanavil also mentioned that of the total 1485 households, 1118 had no one who completed SSLC. 1275 households did not have anyone who cleared HSC and 1378 households had no graduates.
Read: Will address issues faced by denotified communities in TN, says Kanimozhi
No toilets, access to medical shops
Drawing an elaborate picture of the lopsided infrastructure in the villages, the report stated that while one Lambada settlement was fortunate enough to have a water connection since 1984, two among the 15 villages were yet to have proper drinking water supply. Two villages got the water connection as late as 2010, and for two other villages, water connection is still a dream.
The report noted that all 15 villages either do not have toilet facilities or have latrines in unusable conditions. Seven hamlets did not have any toilet facilities at all, and people engaged in open defecation.
The report further cited that 257 households did not have electricity, while the 871 households that had electricity faced discrimination during their time in electricity board offices.
The healthcare situation also remains poor in these villages. The report showed that 108 families in two hamlets do not have healthcare facilities nearby, and that 183 households do not have access to medical stores. Almost 413 households also reported discrimination in accessing existing medical stores.
No loans, government services
When it comes to access to government services and facilities, the report stated that members from 513 households do not have access to Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres which are crucial for newborns and their mothers. The community members who had access to the ICDS reported that they faced discrimination.
The report also highlighted that 432 households were denied government loans and 978 households were not able to access the loans that were granted to them. 992 households reported that they did not have community halls in their settlements and 350 households reported that they were not allowed to access the community halls despite their villages having one. Out of 143 households that access the community halls, 68 households reported discrimination.
The report further laid down how members of the NT communities face discrimination while accessing burial grounds in their locality – 248 households reported that they were not allowed to access burial grounds, while 459 reported discrimination in usage of the grounds.
Recommendations of the report
Apart from highlighting the problems faced by the NT and DT communities, the report also provided key recommendations to the government including a statewide survey of tribal communities, inducting the communities that were left out of the list in the state. The study also recommended that the government must resolve all the hurdles in the provision of appropriate community certificates to the people.
Urging the government to set up a Commission for the welfare of the NT and Denotified Communities (DNC) in the state, the report stated that this would bridge the gap between the people and the government, and also provide periodical data and reports to the government.
To improve the livelihood of the community members, the report also suggested the government initiate a series of focused consultations involving critical stakeholders like banks, MSMEs, and the Tribal Welfare Department to understand the livelihood needs of the community and to identify the necessary support mechanisms required for their sustainable development.
To engage the kids in accessing better education, the report suggested that the government map the geographical areas with high populations of NT and DNTs and take steps to open separate schools with hostel facilities for the students from the communities. This will ensure that they are treated as equals in educational institutions. The report also suggested that students should be taught Activity-Based Learning (ABL) and Montessori methods to address language learning gap.