As vehicles zip past on the busy Karunanidhi Salai near Red Hills lake, a group of young men manoeuvre carefully to return home with bags of scrap metals. "This will fetch me Rs 200 for the day and I share it with seven members of my family and it will not be enough,’’ says 23-year-old Praveen S, who collects scrap metals.
Though Red Hills has grown to be a commercial suburb with industrial establishments and skyscraper apartments, the Narikuravars, a nomadic tribal community with a rich history in ancient Tamil period, continue to face exclusion, poverty and discrimination. It is said that the Narikuravars migrated from north India and that their religious beliefs are similar to that of the Roma group in Europe.
While many Narikuravars in the city sell bead necklaces, they are traditionally jackal hunters who have a rich history in silambam too. Subsequently, anti-hunting laws during the British period deprived them of their livelihood. Since then, they have been struggling to adapt to the urbanisation of the city and make ends meet.
Blue cabins are placed in a row on Karunanidhi Salai. They are supposed to be toilets built by the Panchayat for the 500 tribals located there, but it is used as cabins for storing vessels and clothes. "These toilets were built six months ago but do not have drainage connection," says Praveen.
This has forced the members of the community to defecate in the open. "Men relieve themselves near the Red Hills lake, whereas women use the pay-and-use public toilet...but sometimes they also defecate in the open," he says.
While most Narikuravars keep shifting localities, the community in Red Hills have been living here for 30 years. R Sumathy has seen Red Hills grow as a prominent suburb of Chennai. "How come new apartments or industries get sewage lines and water facilities instantly, but we have been left in the lurch for decades?" asks the 40-year-old.
When contacted by Express, Naravarikuppam Panchayat officials said public toilets have been set up for the tribal community however, they don't it since it is pay and use. "Even if we build toilets, they openly defecate everywhere. We will look at spreading awareness about health and hygiene in the future," said the official.
Housed right next to the garbage-filled canal, the community did not leave the place even during the 2015 floods. "All our houses went underwater during the floods because the Panchayat had not removed the 5-foot deep garbage from the canal," adds Sumathy. Filled with plastic water bottles, clothes and other wastes, the canal continues to be a dump yard.
"The garbage-laden waterbody is regularly cleared but waste is continuously dumped from elsewhere. We would again clear it before monsoon," the official said.
Even water tankers are erratic and only come up till the main road. Sathish K, a resident, says that Karunanidhi Salai used to be an area exclusive to the tribals. However, due to growing traffic in Red Hills, the Panchayat made an alternative route through their neighbourhood.
"Our women used to sit in the open to cook and wash clothes while children played. Now, we can’t even come out of our houses as thousands of vehicles speed up this road. Between 6 pm to 9 pm, traffic snarls are common," says Sathish.
High dropout rates
While about 30 children go to school in this neighbourhood, many youngsters have dropped out of high school owing to poverty. "I needed to earn money for my family and so I joined my friends who collect scrap metals,’’ says 22-year-old Giri B, who dropped out of class 8.
As their Schedule Tribe (ST) status is yet to be granted, the community, which is classified as Most Backward Class currently, cannot avail adequate reservation despite being in abject poverty. As some parts (MEMBERS?) of this community keep moving from place to place, they do not meet the ‘geographical isolation’ criteria prescribed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
In 2016, the Union Government decided to include them under ST category after several demands by various political leaders including late former chief ministers J Jayalalithaa and K Karunanidhi. Tamil Nadu has about 30,000 Narikuravars currently and they speak Vagriboli, a tribal language with a mix of Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.
Nevertheless, the community also has engineering graduates. Karthik S is one of the graduates who has a degree in electronic engineering. He is currently working with a private company. "Though my life as an individual has improved, it is not the same for others. I hope education reaches to every person in my community," he says.