The Adivasi people of Adilabad are likely to be subjected to some very interesting awareness programmes on their health if the Integrated Tribal Development Agency at Utnoor deploys puppetry for the purpose. The nodal agency for tribal development in this district did showcase a puppetry programme on health awareness among tribals which is unique as it has been developed and executed by a group of four Adivasi youths from different parts of Adilabad, in Gondi dialect to boot.
The show was titled Maava jeeva, maava asthi or my health is my wealth and this message comes rivetingly encompassed in a short song towards the end of the 10 minute programme. “We were given the outline of the programme by the ITDA Project R.V. Karnan and the rest was done by the youngsters,” recalled Hyderabad based Educational Puppeteer Padmini Rangarajan who has trained the Adivasis in puppetry.
“Our people have never seen puppetry and they are bound to like it,” opined Soyam Bheem Rao from Keslaguda in Indervelli mandal while H.K. Punesh from Mutnoor in the same mandal, both Gonds, Kodapa Gajanand, a Kolam from from Kosai in Talamadugu mandal and Boyini Prakash, a Koya from Marthidi in Kagaznagar concurred. “The use of Gondi dialect is going to make it easy for the audience to grasp the message,” Gajanand added.
The programme featured three Gond women, a social worker Bheema, a Devari who usually prescribes 'medicines' for ailments and a health assistant. The social worker Bheema's efforts to make the Adivasis shun superstitions and approach government hospitals seem to be failing as they trust the local ‘doctor’ more.
He however, joins hands with the local health assistant and explains the kind of measures that the government has initiated on the health front.
“The team had readied the presentation at a short notice. They could do it apparently as they understand the Adivasi ethos,” Ms. Rangarajan observed.
