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Tribal people in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu, reassert their
identity with help from ACCORD. They also become tea planters!
In a crowded bus in Gudalur,Tamil Nadu, there was one
seat vacant. The seat was next to a spotlessly clean adivasi girl dressed
in a shining white mund, the wraparound cloth belted at the waist
that Paniya tribal women traditionally wear. No one sat next to her.
That was 1986. Four-and-a-half years later,
after intensive work and awareness building, Sangams were formed. A drama
troupe went from village to village talking about the land alienation
problem, human rights and the pride of being an original inhabitant of
Gudalur valley. The need to fight for what was rightfully theirs was
stressed: else their children would be condemned to continue as bonded
labourers. Unity, they were told, meant strength. On December 5, 1988, around 10,000 adivasis gathered in
Gudalur town to demand their rights. As the procession wound its way
through town, the adivasis danced, sang and played their drums and flutes.
They made fiery speeches in their own language affirming their identity.
The word spread and the adivasis became
savvy. It was no longer easy to cheat them of their land with false
signatures, thumb impressions on blank pieces of paper or bottles of
arrack. The Sangam would descend and demand justice. No one could pay them
less wages and get away with it any more. The years of struggle had paid
off and the adivasis reclaimed their ancestral lands. ACCORD, an NGO working in Gudalur since 1981, helped
them plant their lands with tea. Apart from giving everyone an income, it
also had important political implications. Tea had always been the rich
man's crop, owned by multi national companies and really ric!
h planters. It was probably the first time that the poor had become tea
planters. It gave them a new status. In one jump they moved from being
landless and bonded labourers to being tea planters. Paniya women sitting in an autorickshaw, going to the
movies on a Sunday, is a common sight these days. Earlier they walked
carrying kids on their shoulders. When the people are questioned about the
change they say, "Our fear has gone." That is a million times
more important than a small economic improvement. Contact: ACCORD
P.B.20, Gudalur,
Nilgiris
Tamil Nadu, 643212, India
Tel/Fax: 91-4262-61504
Email:
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