FORESTS OF THE JENU KURUBAS

Where time stands still

By Aneesh Dey

Located deep inside the forest of Nagarhole, Karnataka, the village of Jenu Kuruba tribe forms a significant part of Karnataka's heritage and culture. The tribe is also found in regions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, but their number is significantly lesser in Karnataka.

Despite the scenic backdrop of dense forests and the serene backwaters of Kabini, the lives of the tribals here are anything but peaceful.

In an otherwise developed state, time seems to have stopped inside their settlements. There is a lack of basic amenities such as proper shelter, appropriate sanitary conditions and heath awareness.

They are a very close-knit community and rarely mingle with communities in the neighbouring areas. Despite that, there seems to be a lack of care and affection that one expects in a society. Such is their reclusive nature, that if any member of the tribe mingles with people outside the community, that person is shunned by the tribe.

Both men and women in the Jenu Kuruba tribe consume alcohol on a daily basis. This dependence on alcohol often results in physical and verbal abuse among the tribals. It is a society where familial relations do not count. Parents are quite indifferent to the needs of their children.

The existence of the man-animal conflict is extremely visible in the area. Living inside the forest, the tribals tackle wild animals on a daily basis.

There are man-eating tigers in the area. Sandhya, a tribal said, "Cases of people getting killed by tigers is quite common. We take all precautions known to us but sometimes that is not enough. We realise that this is their home too so we do not blame anyone but it is our home too and we have to protect it."

Apart from tigers there are crocodiles in the Kabini. Cases of people getting killed by crocodiles have also been reported.

However, along with conflict, there exists harmony as well. There are tame elephants in the area that help the tribals in activities like lifting load.

Source: Joshua Project

In terms of health, the Jenu Kurubas have a long way to go in order to have a sustainable existence.

Alcoholism and HIV are the two main problems in the area. Men have multiple sexual partners. As they do not have any exposure to sexual education, they are vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases. Apart from HIV, TB is also very common in the area.

There is also a trend of chewing tobacco, which can be seen in both the men and women. Addiction to tobacco has caused numerous deaths in the area due to oral cancer and lung cancer.

There is lack of proper sanitation and menstrual hygiene in the area. Since there are no hospitals or medical shops nearby, the women do not have access to sanitary napkins, which is the basic thing one must have to maintain proper menstrual hygiene.

Apart from availability, affordability is also an issue. As there are no napkins, the women use dry leaves, coir or dirty linen as alternatives, which lead to reproductive ailments like Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).

Dr. Yumna Sazleen, doctor and consultant at Vivekananda Memorial Hospital said, " We come once a week with mobile health units for checkups and consultations. We intend to start bringing sanitary napkins and distribute them for free very soon but I do not know how successful we will be because these people are very stubborn. Changing their mentality is not an easy job. They have seen the consequences of unhealthy menstrual hygiene but they do not seem to care about it too much."

Nutrition is another big issue among these tribals. Depending mainly on the forest for food and resources, it is not enough sometimes.

Due to this, pregnancy is a testing time in the forest. Nutrition is so bad that it is not possible to know whether a woman is actually pregnant till the second trimester. As there are no hospitals nearby so they can’t be sure of anything. If someone is pregnant it is hardly known. If they know someone is pregnant they cannot provide ample nutrition for the child and mother.

Sazleen said, " There is another major issue related to pregnancy. If someone gets labour pain, since there are network issues inside the forest, they would not be able to call an ambulance. The closest hospital is approximately 40 kilometers away in H.D.Kote Most women deliver babies in the forest itself. As they are not aware of how to nurture a baby, there are a lot of cases of infantile deaths."

Despite representatives of Vivekananda Memorial Hospital going there once a week and conducting Urine Pregnancy Tests, it is difficult to gauge the overall situation because a lot of tribals do not show up for the weekly checkup.

Sazleen said, " If we come after post-delivery we ask them to take the child to the hospital. This is still in progress. We try to reach out to as many people as possible. Whatever necessary things they require, we give it to them from the ambulance. In cases where catering from the ambulance is not possible we take them to the hospital. This is also in progress. There are cases where people hide their illness from us. The aim is to make people aware and reach out to everyone in the area in need of medical assistance. "

Living conditions are also far from perfect. All houses in the area are kaccha houses. They do not have proper bathrooms. Open defecation is prevalent in the area.

Since the area belongs to the Government, the tribals cannot construct pakka houses even if they want to.

Beekeeping is an essential part of the Jenu Kuruba's daily existence. In fact, they get a part of their tribe name from honey, which in Kannada language is 'Jenu'. They make honey not only for their own use but also to sell it.

When asked whether that fetches decent income or not, Sihu, a tribal who has been practicing beekeeping for the last five years said, " It depends on how good the honey is. We haven't got any formal training. The knowledge passes from generation to generation."