Eight decades after Independence, 45 tribal families in Mulugu still await basic amenities

Eight decades after Independence, 45 tribal families in a remote forest habitation of Mulugu continue to wait for electricity, safe drinking water, road connectivity and accessible healthcare, while a small classroom keeps the hopes of their children alive

By Shyam Mohan

It was 6 a.m. when we left Hyderabad. Nearly five hours later, we reached the dense forests of Mahamutharam mandal in Mulugu district, along the route to Medaram.

---

The signs of podu cultivation were visible along the way. Tribal farmers were busy planting crops in their fields. We stopped our vehicle by the roadside and continued on foot along a narrow mud track.

Rain had fallen shortly before our arrival. The pathway was slippery and covered in mud. We stumbled along, crossing a small stream before continuing deeper into the forest.

After some distance, Dandupalli habitation appeared.

Around 45 houses, built largely with mud walls and covered with traditional red tiles, are scattered among the trees.

“We do not even know what an electric bulb looks like. At night, we live under the light of kerosene lamps. For drinking water, we depend on the stream nearby. During summer, the stream dries up. We dig pits in the sand and collect the water that seeps into them,” said Bhimayya, a young Koya farmer.

Healthcare is another challenge.

“When someone falls sick, we have to tie the patient to a cot and carry them to the main road to reach a hospital. We have to cross the stream on the way. There is no proper road to our houses,” he said.

Bhimayya depends on podu cultivation for his livelihood. This year, he said, he cultivated cotton and paddy on two acres. Most families in the habitation similarly depend on agriculture for their livelihood.

A classroom in the forest

Amid these houses stands a small mud-walled structure that resembles a hut. Inside, children sit together, learning to read and write.

This is the Bheem Children’s Happiness Centre, a modest educational initiative that has become an important part of the habitation.

The centre caters to around 30 children, including some who had previously dropped out of school.

“Four years ago, the centre was established by Santosh Isram, who completed his postgraduate studies in Journalism at Osmania University. Sheshender Reddy has been managing it,” said Randheer, one of the teachers.

The children are taught basic Telugu and English, songs and drawing. The centre also prepares them for admission into formal schools.

“Later, we help them join the Tribal Ashram School at nearby Project Nagar. So far, 21 children have been admitted to the hostel through this process,” Mr. Randheer said.

A graduate from neighbouring Singaram village, Mr. Randheer travels to Dandupalli every day. He teaches the children from 9 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.

The classroom is simple, but the aspirations of the children are not.

Along with their lessons, they are introduced to environmental awareness and plant cultivation. A small vegetable garden has been developed behind the classroom.

For children growing up without electricity and proper road connectivity, the classroom represents more than education. It is a place where they can begin to imagine possibilities beyond the boundaries of their forest settlement.

Support arrives on Independence Day

On August 15, representatives of the P.K.M.R. Foundation visited Dandupalli to understand the problems faced by the community.

The foundation’s immediate focus was on education. Books and stationery were provided to the children.

The organisation has also said it plans to provide nutritious food, solar lights for households and organise health camps in the habitation.

“Tribal education, rights, culture, language and history need special attention. We are working on scholarships, educational centres, career guidance, awareness of government schemes and documentation of tribal languages and culture,” said Potlapalli Kaladhar Rao, founder of the P.K.M.R. Foundation.

“Dandupalli is part of these efforts. We have started by supporting the children’s education. We plan to extend the support to nutrition, household solar lighting and healthcare,” he said.

Continuing a legacy

The P.K.M.R. Foundation was established in December 2016 in memory of Potlapalli Kamala Manohar Rao, who worked extensively for tribal welfare.

Born on December 20, 1919, at Ashwaraopalli in present-day Jangaon district of Telangana, Kamala Manohar Rao studied Anthropology at Osmania University and worked on issues concerning tribal communities.

He advocated the need for a dedicated administrative system for tribal welfare. His efforts contributed to the establishment of a separate Tribal Welfare Department in Andhra Pradesh in 1966. He became its first Director and served until his retirement in 1975.

Even after retirement, he continued working for the welfare and development of tribal communities. He died in 1995.

The foundation, led by his family and descendants, says it is continuing this legacy through programmes in education, healthcare, women’s empowerment, sanitation, sports, drinking water and livelihoods. It has also undertaken menstrual health initiatives for adolescent girls.

The unfinished promise of Independence

India has travelled a long distance in the eight decades since Independence. Cities have expanded, technology has transformed lives and the country has emerged as a major global economy.

Yet, in Dandupalli, some of the most basic needs remain unmet.

Children are waiting for better educational facilities.

Parents are waiting for reliable access to healthcare.

Farmers are waiting for proper road connectivity.

Families are waiting for something as basic as electricity.

The contrast is striking. A few hours away from Hyderabad, families in a remote forest habitation continue to negotiate with darkness, distance and the monsoon simply to meet their everyday needs.

But inside the small mud-walled classroom, another story is taking shape.

Children are learning to read and write. They are drawing, singing and growing vegetables. Some have already moved on to residential tribal schools.

The books and stationery provided to them may appear modest. But for children growing up in a settlement where electricity, roads and healthcare remain distant, education can be the first step towards breaking the cycle of deprivation.

Dandupalli still has a long way to go.

But inside that little classroom in the forest, the children are already carrying something that the darkness cannot take away – hope.