Nomadic tribes, often overlooked and unrepresented, continue to face severe neglect in rural areas.
Anantapur:Nomadic tribes, often overlooked and unrepresented, continue to face severe neglect in rural areas. Among them are the Kinnera Jogulu, a community of wandering mendicants, who live in the hills of Kallur mandal in Anantapur district.
Now offering themselves as unorganised labour, they are struggling to survive. Their lives are marked by hardship and deprivation. Yet their plight remains invisible to broader society.
The community came into the limelight briefly when tragedy struck Lakshmi, a member of the Kinnera Jogulu community, who fell into a pond while collecting firewood three days ago. Harini, who accompanied her to collect firewood, attempted to save her. Both lost their lives.
The incident underscores the dire conditions in which these communities live. They have no political representation or social safety nets. Their struggles are compounded by a lack of access to basic resources and opportunities.
In Kallur, there are about 32 Kinnera Jogulu families. Two families live in Dommarollu. Twenty-six children from these families attend government schools. But their lives remain mired in poverty.
Kinnera Jogulu are just one of many marginalised communities belonging to numerous scheduled and denotified nomadic tribes facing systemic neglect.
Among the scheduled castes, communities like Jangama Dewara, Dakkali, Kinnera Jogulu, and Beda Budaga Jangal endure extreme social and economic backwardness due to traditional untouchability and systemic oppression.
Rayalaseema Praja Vedika convener Dr Suresh Babu said some of these groups are on the brink of extinction, without acknowledgement or support. Jangamollu, also known as Jangam Devar, is a poignant example of this.
Traditionally, Kinnera Jogulu have been devotees of Shiva. Dressed in saffron robes, they once roamed villages during the Karthika month, singing Shiva kirtans. Devotees gave them alms. Today, the Shiva kirtan tradition is lost. They instead survive as mendicants.
Similarly, Beda Budaga Jangam, the ninth caste in the scheduled castes list, are known as Budiga or Beda. Their traditional role had been that of storytellers and collecting alms. Their existence too is under threat.
Prof. G. Venkata Siva Reddy from Poura Spandana Vedika feels the deaths of Lakshmi and Harini are a reflection of the systemic neglect faced by nomadic and denotified tribes. Kinnera Jogulu, and countless others like them, deserve more than just survival.
The central and state governments must take immediate special measures to address the issues of such marginalised communities. Without targeted intervention, their stories, languages, and lives will continue to crumble and be lost in the annals of history, Prof. Siva Reddy added.
