TRIBAL LIFE IN NON-SCHEDULED AREAS: AN APPRAISAL IN THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY TRIBAL SCENARIO IN KERALA
Authors :Pradeep Kumar K.S
Abstract
Closeness with the natural environment in its true sense is the main distinguishing
feature of the tribal life. A wide range of projects and programs have implemented for
the overall wellbeing of the tribal people of the country after independence and many a
time such measures have resulted in changing the age-old way of life of the tribal
communities along with alienation of their customary rights. Nowadays, tribal societies
face a manifold of issues, and their problems vary from that of land alienation, bonded
labour, health and nutrition, educational backwardness, depopulation, loss of cultural
traits including dialect to the problem of identity, owing to one or the other reasons. All
these reduced their mode of living and self-esteem to a lower level and make the
contemporary living surroundings of the tribal communities problematic. The paper
discusses contemporary life of tribal societies in Non-Scheduled areas and the necessity
to develop a long term planning and policy approach to rectify the persisting
development issues amongst the tribal communities of the State from an Anthropological
perspective.
