Attappady and its tribes are back in the limelight, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comparison of the tribal situation in Attappady with the human development indices of Somalia.
But experts and tribal leaders aver that Attappady’s problems differ from those of African countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia in many respects. In fact, they are distinct from those in the tribal areas of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The comparison, they argue, is unscientific and against reality.
“The problems in Attappady are not just about income and calorie intake. The core issues concerning the tribes here are land alienation, habitat destruction, and change in land-use patterns. Debt, assets, irrigation, drinking water, sanitation, and jobs also count. Deaths from malnutrition are just symptoms of the actual disease, which requires both short- and long-term measures,” say tribal social activist K.A. Ramu.
Seema Bhaskar, mission manager, National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Attappady, says a number of Central government-assisted projects are being implemented there for restoration of livelihood of the tribal community.
“Because of land alienation, lack of irrigation facilities, and lose of land fertility, the tribes have turned coolies in Attappady. Now the focus is on restoring their farm practices and ensuring them food security,” she says.
Dr. Seema says some studies in the past equating Attappady with the backward African countries had been devoid of proper verification and contained little facts.
Tribal women collective Thaykula Sanghom leader Maruthi attributes the sorry state of tribal life to the liquor lobby and its nexus with corrupt officials.
“They allowed bootleggers to flourish, ridiculing the prevailing prohibition. Liquor shops in Tamil Nadu on the border areas helped pump booze to Attappady, affecting the health of pregnant and lactating women. Political parties, including the BJP, have opposed our struggles against the Tamil Nadu liquor outlet at Anaikatty till the day it was forcibly closed down,” recalls Ms. Maruthi.
“The way forward is to take the tribal communities and organisations into confidence before planning anything for them. Politicians must understand the need for tribal involvement in projects meant for them,” says S. Pazhaniswami, a tribal folk artiste.
“So, the beginning must be empowering the oorukoottams once again. None of the Ministers who visited Attappady in the wake of infant deaths bothered to meet the tribal organisations. Schemes launched by the government in Attappady have reduced the tribes to wage labourers and have disempowered them,” he says.
