CUMBUM: Tribals in a remote village near Thekkady are cultivating ganja as a common farm product in their home gardens. But not for sale.
Mannankudi, a tribal village, lies two km from Kumili on the way to Thekkady in Tamil Nadu- Kerala border. Outsiders can enter this village in the jungle only with permission from the authorities of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The population of the village comprises 450 families of Mannar tribals and 350 families of Paliyar Adivasis.
They speak a dialect with accent sounding like Tamil. They have no script for their language and their marriage ceremonies seem like those of Tamils.
They claim that they are originally from Madurai and their forefathers were soldiers sent from the Pandiyan kingdom to Chera kingdom. But instead of returning to the kingdom of Pandiyans, they had stayed in the jungle terrains, on the borders of the two kingdoms.
According to them, at the end of 19th century, the queen of Travancore State, who was staying in Thekkady, having learnt of their origin, asked that Mannar tribals be shifted out of the jungle. But they refused to leave their habitats unless they were permitted to gather wild products like fruits, nuts, honey and other items. On a promise by the State, they migrated to Mannankudi on the fringe of the forest. When the linguistic states were created, their area was annexed to Kerala State.
In 1965, the forest area was declared as an elephant sanctuary and in 1980, as a tiger sanctuary.
This prevented them from entering the forests to collect the wild products. Deprived of their traditional source of income, the families have started cultivating ganja. A plant yields between five to 10 kg of ganja after one year.
They prefer to cultivate a variety of ganja called ‘Mallichadai’, which they consume with their food and smoke in pipes. It is also used as a herb for treating a variety of illnesses.
In 1982, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had invited the tribals from all over the country to listen to their grievances.
Pandi, a leader of Mannars tribe of Mannargudi, also went to Delhi. On his return, Pandi had told his people that the tribals requested the Prime Minister to permit them to enter the forests to collect wild products. Pandi had pleaded with Indira Gandhi to permit his tribe to raise ganja which they use as food. He said that Indira Gandhi had told them to cultivate the plant for their own use and not to sell it.
Now, after more than two decades of the Delhi meeting, some tribals have become teachers, guides, railway employees and workers in other fields. But they still continue to raise ganja as a matter of prestige.