There are signs of electrification everywhere as one heads to the Podiyam tribal settlement — cables wound on drums, yet-to-be installed posts, and electricity board workers drawing overhead lines.
Electricity is finally reaching the settlements as part of the government’s total electrification project, a step that is expected to end the tribespeople’s isolation and bring them into the mainstream.
Podiyam is among the 10-12 tribal settlements in the Kottoor region that have some links with the outside world. Most children here attend schools, and it is common to see the youth zipping by on the latest motorcycles. Work is under way on concrete houses, though many remain incomplete owing to lack of funds.
It is a different story, however, in other settlements such as Kunnatheri, Pothode, Vlavila, Anakaal, Pattampara, Pothode, and Amodu, some of them being remote.
It is Anakaal, just 7 km from Podiyam, though that leaves the administrators perplexed. A ride in a four-wheel drive and a walk that may take between 30- 45 minutes through a forest trail takes one to the settlement, which is nothing like Podiyam.
There are 14 families in Anakaal, their dwellings located some distance from one another.
Built of bamboo, reed, and leaves, and at times, with a tarpaulin sheet on the roof as a measure of security against rain, these structures offer little protection from the elements such as strong winds, dust, and the dampness.
Following their own traditions and rituals, permanent homes that offer security are not for them. Every three years, the Anakaal tribespeople bring down the home they live in and shift to another house. Continuing in the same house will bring diseases and other ills such as animal attacks, they fear.
None of the adults here have any formal education. The DCPU found nine children here, two below the age of five, and 6 who had dropped out. One child had never seen the portals of a school.
Unlike other settlements, education is frowned upon here, for they believe it will harm their culture. Even those who may wish to get their wards educated have to kow-tow to the wishes of the naysayers. Unsurprisingly, the District Child Protection Unit faces problems in getting the children of Anakaal to attend a summer camp being organised by it at nearby Podiyam. Attempts to get other tribespeosple involved come to nought. Says Mallan Kani, chieftain of the Pothode, Vlavila, and Amodu tribes, “What can we do if they refuse to send their children to school. We have approached them a number of times.”
Electricity is yet another bone of contention, with the tribespeople averse to the idea of drawing power lines to the settlement. “We have been living a simple life, depending on the forest. We do not need electricity. If we go against our beliefs, we will only invite trouble,” says Mathan Kani, a tribesman.
