IDUKKI: For decades, the Muthuvan tribal community, spread across the forested high ranges of Idukki, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Palakkad, and the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border, had the will to demand their rights but allegedly lacked a collective voice.
That changed in 2024 with the revival of the Muthuvan Adivasi Samudaya Sangham, an organisation now uniting hundreds of settlements under one banner to protect their culture, secure their rights, and push for development.
The impact of that revival was on full display at Muthuva Sanghamam 2025, a three-day gathering at Chembakathozhukudi in Chinnakkanal that concluded on Sunday.
Around 3,000 Muthuvans from nearly 140 settlements came together in what leaders call the biggest event since the Sangham’s rebirth, timed to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
“This event shows what unity can achieve,” said C. Rajendran, district panchayat member and state committee member of the Sangham. “Our aim is to make our people aware of their rights and uphold our traditions. We have been treated as mere vote banks for too long. That will change,” he said.
The Sangham’s roots date back to 1995, when tribal leaders, inspired by faculty at the Gangothri School in Suryanelli, formed the original collective. It thrived for over a decade before the school’s closure and the absence of educated leaders in the community caused activities to stall.
In 2024, tribal elders decided to revive the registered organisation instead of starting from scratch, expediting legal procedures and rekindling the network.
Today, the Sangham has a structured governing body with two representatives from each settlement, area committees, and ooru committees led by tribal chiefs. Its efforts have been visible in recent protest programmes demanding infrastructure, healthcare, and legal justice.
The Sangham’s intervention was allegedly pivotal in prompting the Tamil Nadu government to order a judicial inquiry into the suspicious death of a 58-year-old tribal man from Suryanelli at the Udumalpet forest range office.
At Muthuva Sanghamam, discussions ranged from forest rights, welfare schemes for tribes at the government level, education, financial empowerment, and infrastructure facilities at the settlement to women’s issues.
Cultural programmes, seminars, and a free medical camp by the National Ayush Mission added to the spirit of empowerment. Leaders hope the event will mark the beginning of sustained mobilisation across all districts.
“We are building more than an organisation, we are building a future where our voices are heard and our rights respected. This is only the beginning,” Rajendran said.
Kerala Police Academy director K. Sethuraman was the chief guest, Adimaly assistant tribal development officer M. Kandaswami inaugurated the meeting, and Munnar wildlife warden K. V. Harikrishnan delivered the tribal day message. Tribal poet Ashokan Marayur and journalist-writer M. J. Babu were also present.