Learning from the Orissa Experience
Background In May 2015, a group of adivasis from the Gudalur valley of Tamil Nadu set out to Orissa. The primary objective of the exposure trip was to facilitate a […]
Background In May 2015, a group of adivasis from the Gudalur valley of Tamil Nadu set out to Orissa. The primary objective of the exposure trip was to facilitate a […]
On 15th December, 2014, members from 31 Tribal Gram Sabhas of the Gudalur and Pandalur Taluks organized a protest to demand their rights in the forest. These Gram Sabhas have […]
My name is Ramesh. I work in The Shola Trust as a wildlife conservationist. In this blog, I am writing about my conversation with my grandfather, Bomman thatha (grandfather) about […]
“You adivasis now have a higher status than us in the forest!” said the forester to the Kattunyakans in Mudakunnu village. Coming from the Forest Department, a statement of this […]
Is the ‘holiness’ of a century old Hindu temple in a city of Pakistan different from that of a Paniya sacred grove in a remote tribal village in the Gudalur […]
In the last 4 months, I have seen many more Kaavus (sacred groves). The Kaavus I have seen are all very different from each other. There are new Kaavus and […]
Last month was marked by Putheri, a harvest festival celebrated in the Gudalur Valley. The word ‘Putheri’ literally translates into new rice. For farming communities everywhere, harvest cycles mark new […]
Forest fires. I’ve been worried about them since I was a kid. I vividly remember driving through Bandipur once, with both sides of the road blazing. It was frightening enough […]
Coexisting with elephants would seem unthinkable and impossible to most of us. Yet adivasis in Gudalur have done so for generations and continue to do so. They share their home, […]
Living in the Nilgiris, the Kattunayakans are one of the last few remaining honey gathering communities of the world. Over many generations they have mastered the skills required to tap […]