The campus of Lady Doak College here came alive with the sound of drums and the sight of artistes performing stunts on Friday.
A ‘boom boom maadu’ (an ox that nods its head on the instruction of its master), Narikuravas, fortune tellers, snake charmers and street circus artistes were among those who took out a procession on the premises as part of a conference on ‘Nomadic tribes-challenges and prospects,’ organised by Tent Society, a non-governmental organisation working for the cause of nomadic tribes in the State.
R. Maheswari, secretary, Tent Society, said most of the nomadic tribes had not been classified as a community and were still waiting to be recognised. “These performers are known by their livelihood and profession such as the ‘Boom Boom Maatukarars’ (Owners of the dancing bull). We have been demanding an exclusive ministry to represent their needs for years now,” she said.
Echoing her view, S. Rani, from a Narikurava group, said that community certificates should be issued for Narikuravas without any delay. “It is very tough for me to sell beads and other jewellery in public places as I encounter name-calling and derogatory treatment,” she said. “In Tamil Nadu, there are 18 classifications of nomadic tribes and roughly around eight lakh persons in the group,” she added. A street puppet artiste said that it was difficult for him to get his children admitted to schools without a community certificate. “Since they are a moving society, their exact numbers are never known,” said C. Ramanujam, Coordinator of the Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Gandhigram Rural Institute.
R. Rajangam, National Convenor of the Nomadic Tribes Forum, said that out of the 900 nomadic tribes in the country, more than 150 did not fall under the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes categories. “The nomads have been relegated as physically and mentally untouchable. More than 80 per cent of their children are illiterate and provisions should be made to make education accessible to them,” he said.
