Coimbatore: Walking for 20 mins a day for the purpose of exercise would leave us gasping for breath. Imagine the lives of the people of a mountain village who have to travel 10 kms on steep and slippery roads, clinging to them like sparrows!
Coimbatore: Walking for 20 mins a day for the purpose of exercise would leave us gasping for breath. Imagine the lives of the people of a mountain village who have to travel 10 kms on steep and slippery roads, clinging to them like sparrows!
The Naguroothupathi mountain village is located in the Vettaikaranpudur Town Panchayat near Pollachi. It comes under the Anamalai Tiger Reserve where 46 families comprising 200 Maha Malasar tribals reside. At a gradation of 70 degrees, the village is situated past the Kaandoor Canal on the mountains and is not known to the common man. Left with no other choice and knowing fully well about the risks they take, these villagers cross an iron bridge that is 2-1/2 feet wide and 15 feet long and live their life on the edge!
They cross the bridge on their two-wheelers and then camouflage them with plants and walk to their village. Minutes after climbing on the steep rugged terrain leaves we are rendered breathless, our legs tremble, and the dense forests around us give us an eerie feeling! Walking further without taking a pause will lead us to the Naguruthupathi village in 30 mins. The hamlet is studded huts here and there.
The houses in the village are sparsely located here and there. Only 46 families reside in huts on the steep slopes of the mountains. The people of the village talk about the frequent rains that do not let them sleep indoors and the problems caused by the landslides quite casually. The tribals who are used to travelling up and down the steep slopes appear fit and healthy with no extra flesh on them.
If a person in the village falls ill, he or she has to be cradled and taken down for medical; such is their plight. To make both ends meet, the villagers grow produce on the lands near their houses and also travel 5 kms regularly to protect their coconut and groundnut fields from wild animals. They say they make up to Rs.350 per day.
Children travel 5 kms through the forest infested with wildlife such as tigers, leopards, elephants and Indian gaurs. They, however, travel without fear and never lose the smile on their face and reach Vettaikaranpudur to study at the Mannam Middle school.
The solar lamps that were installed during MGR's tenure are not functioning now and hence the children of the village struggle to study in the dark, informed the villagers. Even in pitch black darkness, old and young alike are able to find their way without stumbling on the bumps.
A resident of the village, Kathirvel spoke to us and said, "My work is to drive elephants away and remove coconut husks. I buy rice from the ration shop in Vettaikaranpudur and transport it up to the Kaandoor Canal. From there, I lift the rice bag on my shoulders and climb the steep mountains and manage to bring it back home. My three children walk through the dense forest areas every day to school. We do not have any vehicles and it will be of great help if the government provides us with them."
Recalling a life threatening experience he said, "While crossing Kandoor Canal, my two wheeler slipped and my son and I fell into the canal. Luckily, we managed to escape; however, the two wheeler was washed away."
He also narrated that three people including a father and son had been washed away in the Kandoor Canal in an accident, a few days ago.
Kathirvel has been employed as an anti poaching guard for the past 15 years and has still not been made permanent, he lamented. He also said that the Forest department used the people from the hills to drive away elephants and clear trees that are stuck in electric wires, but does not make them permanent.
The people of the Maha Malasar community also informed that the bridge on Kandoor Canal could be widened by spending just Rs.50,000. The people of the village are mostly unaware of the daily news. Their world is centered around their forest, surrounding mountains and wildlife.
The Maha Malasar tribals who live such simple lives have only a few simple dreams. They want their dysfunctional solar lamps to be set right and the bridge on the Kandoor Canal widened for their children to travel safely to school. They also request that the temporary jobs they hold at the Forest Department be made permanent.