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indigenous tribal community in Karnataka

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Restoration of dignity and human rights of indigenous tribal community in Karnataka
Gold 2019 | India

Outline
Securing land rights helps break the cycle of caste‐based oppression in India

The Koraga tribal community suffered centuries of oppression under India’s historic
caste system. While caste‐based discrimination is technically illegal today, many
of the practices and prejudices remain. These include ‘Ajalu’, where Koragas are
made to eat leftover food from upper caste households mixed with hair, fingernails
and other inedible substances.

ActionAid India, with the Koraga Federation and Samagra Grameena Ashram (SGA),
works with the Koraga people and nine other tribal communities in Karnataka state
to break the cycle of caste‐based oppression through social and economic
empowerment. The main focus of the project is to support indigenous communities in
accessing government schemes to which they are entitled.

Under the initiative, thousands of acres of land have been secured for tribal
communities and 19,000 people have accessed grants to build homes. This has acted
as a foundation for them to rebuild their lives. Enhanced access to state‐sponsored
nutrition programmes have improved food security and health among the Koraga
community. More children attend school and have access to scholarships, while
Koraga women hold leadership positions within the community and more than 1,000
have been supported to become self‐sufficient.

Through its community‐led approach, the project empowers the marginalised tribal
groups to resist oppressive practices like Ajalu and access their basic human
rights, restoring their dignity and transforming their lives for generations to
come.

Full details
For centuries, the caste system dictated every aspect of people’s lives in India,
creating enormous inequalities between social groups – members of the upper castes
enjoyed great privilege, while the lower castes were subjugated and oppressed.
Today, India’s constitution bans discrimination on the basis of caste but, despite
this, much of the prejudice and many of the practices of the system remain in
place, contributing to the ongoing marginalisation of certain communities.

One such community is the indigenous Koraga tribe, who were classed as
‘untouchable’ under the caste system. For centuries Koragas have suffered
psychological, physical, sexual and economic violence at the hands of higher
castes. Despite legislation in place to prohibit it, Koragas are still subjected to
the practice of ‘Ajalu’, where they are made to eat leftover food from upper caste
households mixed with hair, fingernails and other inedible substances, in the
belief that the misfortunes of the upper castes will be transferred to those who
eat it.
Since 2000, a project has been seeking social justice for the Koraga tribe and
other communities like them, supporting them to access their basic human rights and
to stand up against practices like Ajalu. The initiative – Restoration of Dignity
and Human Rights of Indigenous Tribal Community in Karnataka – is run by ActionAid
India, part of the global federation of ActionAid International.

Initially a short‐term project engaging with Koraga communities in Udupi and

Dakshina Kannada districts in the south‐west Indian state of Karnataka, the
programme was expanded in 2003 to become a long‐term initiative involving 10 tribal
communities affected by the caste system.

The project in practice

When ActionAid India began working with the Koraga people, they had been classified
by the government as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). This
classification entitles the community to certain government‐sponsored schemes.
However, a lack of awareness of their rights and the ingrained inferiority felt by
the group meant they were not accessing these entitlements. The community had been
subject to land expulsions, had few livelihood opportunities and was suffering from
malnutrition, all of which contributed to the continued practice of Ajalu, as
people were forced to accept the leftover food as their only means of survival.

To reverse the systemic injustices and stigma faced by the Koraga people, ActionAid
India designed a programme that focused on supporting the community to access their
rights to land and housing, education, health and dignity – with gender equality as
a central component. The project is community‐led and included the formation of the
Koraga Federation, which is made up of community members and located in Udupi.

Through ActionAid India’s multiple partnerships with non‐governmental organisations

(NGOs) and local community groups, the project opened up a critical dialogue with
the government. This took the form of policy advocacy, research publications and
campaigns to highlight the challenges facing the Koraga community.

As a result of this work, the Koraga people are now accessing two rural housing
programmes, one through central government and one through the state of Karnataka.
Residents receive a grant and construct their own home with technical assistance
from government agencies. The project has also successfully influenced the state to
provide land for families in the same villages in which they already live.

In 2014, ActionAid India worked with the Samagra Grameena Ashram (SGA), a
grassroots based civil society organisation, to create an alliance of 10 different
tribal Community‐Based Organisations (CBOs). This alliance, called Karnataka Aranya
Mula Budakattugala Okkoota, helps to create a stronger voice for impactful
advocacy. Its current campaign, the Karnataka Adivasigala Nyayakagi Andolana
(KAVANA), has successfully advocated for a government‐sponsored nutrition programme
entitling the 10 tribal communities to free food during the six‐month monsoon
season.

ActionAid India’s Restoration of Dignity and Human Rights of Indigenous Tribal

Community in Karnataka project has an annual budget of approximately $38,000 USD.
The total cost of the programme to date is approximately $633,000 USD. More than $5
million USD of support has been generated for the Koraga people and other tribal
communities in the form of housing grants, pension entitlements, nutrition and food
security schemes, land, agricultural support and education.

Social and environmental impact

The main focus of ActionAid India’s project is to enable indigenous tribal people
to access government schemes they are entitled to. These schemes had historically
low uptake and were often misused by the administration – including the diversion
of funds from the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) in the state of Karnataka. Between 2012 and
2014, ActionAid supported a movement to improve the services delivered through the
TSP, which resulted in legislation preventing the diversion of funds from the TSP
for non‐tribal welfare purposes.

In relation to land and housing rights, the project has secured the allocation of
117 acres of land in the Udupi district to the Koraga tribe, while 2,527 families
have been given 2,850 acres of land under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
Approximately 10,000 Koragas and 9,000 people from forest‐dwelling communities have
accessed state‐ sponsored housing (receiving a grant of $2,529 USD on average to
cover self‐build construction costs), and 120 families have reclaimed 271 acres of
land in a national park.

The project has also improved nutrition and food security for the Koraga people. In
2009, a health study by ActionAid India showed high levels of anaemia among women
and children, with four in every five (80%) Koraga women suffering from the
condition. With the support of SGA, a nutrition plan was drafted in Udupi and
Dakshina Kannada districts, which led to a state‐sponsored free nutrition programme
for all 3,542 Koraga families. Working closely with SGA and the Koraga Federation,
ActionAid began advocating for nutritional support for the wider Koraga community
in 2011. Since then, 200,000 people have benefited, including 2,668 families who
were given access to 3,153 acres of land by the government for food production. The
community organised themselves to gain access to these reserved forest areas
through the FRA.

ActionAid India’s work has also increased tribal communities’ access to education
(including further education) and led to greater participation of Koraga women in
decision‐making in their community. The project has supported more than 1,000 women
to become self‐sufficient, earning between 50,000 and 100,000 Indian Rupees per
year ($716 – 1,432 USD) by growing and selling jasmine.

ActionAid India recognises the importance of community‐led protection of the

environment and its work with tribal communities supports this. While government
policy allows residents to choose the design of their house, many are built with
local materials and are not energy‐intensive to construct. The Koraga community
practices a subsistence economy, using natural resources to meet only their basic
needs through hunting, gathering and growing food.

Some members of forest‐dwelling tribes have even pursued government jobs in the
forest department, where they work to protect both the forest and the rights of
their own communities.

The future

While some components of the project have been completed, ActionAid India’s
advocacy initiatives are ongoing. These campaigns include: state‐level quality
education for tribal people; complete implementation of the FRA, and an extension
of the nutrition programme to include two further communities.

Future expansion plans include advocacy initiatives for land and housing
entitlements for people freed from forced labour. This has already been initiated
in the coffee estates of Kodagu district, where people are supported to reject the
bonded‐labour system they are forced into.

Costs for further expansion of the project will be covered by ActionAid India under
its long‐term commitment to break the cycle of caste‐based oppression and
marginalisation of tribal communities. Through education and support, the programme
gives tribal groups a foundation from which they can begin to address the issues
impacting their community, and so transform the lives of generations to come.

View the full project summary here

Resident stories
Gowri lives with her husband and four sons in Matter Koraga hamlet.

In 2005, I became an owner of an acre of agriculture land. We lived on the edges of

the village in a small hut. Now, through the land struggle, we have obtained
homestead land and have constructed a decent house which depicts our dignified
living.

Before, people received free land in return for cultivating it. Tribal people too
could have applied for land titles. But the notion of permanent, individual
ownership of land was a far-off thought to most tribes as we were basically hunters
and gatherers. By the time we realised the necessity of obtaining formal land
titles, we had lost the opportunity to stake claim to lands that might have
rightfully been considered ours. In fact, we lived a life of slavery; we were
bought and sold along with land.

Now our efforts are to support and ensure every Koraga claims their right to land
for a decent survival and dignity as land is inextricably linked to dignity.
Before land was allotted to us, I used to work as a labourer in the houses of upper
caste people. We were treated as untouchables. We were doing long hours of work; it
was a painful struggle of life.

I am an active participant of the land struggle since 1995. However, only after the
land identification survey, the boundaries were marked in the year 2010. My family
settled on this piece of land claimed by us. I was part of the advocacy programme
of SGA and Koraga Federation for land infrastructures. The Integrated Tribal
Development Project (ITDP) assistance helped us in land-levelling, fencing, a
drinking and irrigation well, and an approach road. Today I grow and own 60
jasmine, 10 areca nut and 15 coconut trees.

Like me, three other women – Geetha, Susheela and Ammanni – resettled in our
hamlet. With pride, I wish to say that land is a breakthrough in my life to come
out of the oppression. Now I am self-reliant!

Geetha, aged 40, lives in Mattar hamlet. She has a husband, Shekar, and four
children.

Today I can proudly say I am a landowner; I own an acre of land and I have built a
decent house to live in. This is due to the effort of SGA, ActionAid and Koraga
Federation that has made it possible. Before obtaining land entitlement, we resided
in Yellur village. As we were landless, we worked as agriculture labourers on a
landlord’s land who belonged to an upper caste. We were bonded labourers.

Since the presence of SGA and Koraga Federation in our hamlet, I have been actively
involved in development work, especially the land struggle of 1995. Here, I wish to
share an unforgettable incident that happened in 1998. It was a cultural practice
and duty and responsibility of a Koraga member to beat drums and burn explosives on
the death of a person in the upper caste family. They believed that the bad deeds
of the dead person would symbolically be transferred to the Koraga community.

On that day, Kapira, one of our neighbours, went to perform this ritual and he was
killed while preparing the explosive. Kapira’s death shook me terribly, I was
shocked! We all Koragas gathered to discuss and reflect on the severity of this
practice. We decided to raise our voice collectively to stop such a practice and
started a movement with guidance and support from ActionAid, SGA and Koraga
Federation members. All members of our family got involved and took a lead role to
organise people and help them come out of such practices and beliefs.

After this shocking incident, myself and my husband wanted to stop working on the
landlord’s farm but we did not have an alternate livelihood and hence continued.

At this crucial period, the SGA and Koraga land rights movement gave us hope! By
exercising our rights, we acquired an acre of land at Shirva.
We took two to three years to prepare the land for cultivation. With Integrated
Tribal Development Programme’s assistance, we now have levelled and fenced the
land, got drinking water, have an approach road and a new house.

Now, we are no longer agriculture labourers, we are cultivators! Our livelihood

depends on jasmine cultivation and the sale of flowers.

My family is now settled, independent and leading a self-reliant life.

Bogra is 50 years old and a member of the Koraga Federation.

I was always under the belief that our practising the Ajalu ritual was our duty
mandated by God. But it was only after the death of my friend while he was
performing an Ajalu ritual that I became convinced that our Koraga community were
losing their lives in vain and that religion had nothing to do with it. Today, our
unrelenting struggle for a life of dignity culminated in the enactment of a law
banning the practice of Ajalu.

My life was very distressing, we were made to eat food mixed with hair and
fingernails of the upper caste people along with other inedible substances. They
claimed that their sins were absolved through such practices. However, SGA and
ActionAid made us aware of the oppression of the caste system behind this and
guided us to vindicate our stand that practicing Ajalu was not our obligation, but
a ritual that had been propagated to oppress us. I was at the forefront of the
awareness campaign led by our community and SGA, and it is through this that our
eyes were opened to the fact that Ajalu was a violation of human rights. I
mobilised the community to stop practising Ajalu, especially the humiliating ritual
of running across the fields, like buffaloes, before the beginning of Kambala (the
annual traditional buffalo race celebrated by farming communities in coastal
Karnataka).

The momentum towards getting a law to ban the Ajalu practice gained ground only
after all the community leaders became active participants in the campaign which
proved to be a turning point to this anti-Ajalu movement. As a result of our
untiring struggle, the Ajalu abolition enactment came into force. Under the
Karnataka Koragas (Prohibition of Ajalu Practice) Act, 2000, treating Koragas as
inferior human beings and forcing them to practice various Ajalu rituals is now a
crime. Flouting of any provisions of the Act is punishable by a term of
imprisonment of between six months and five years, as well as a cash penalty.

I am happy and proud to share that the newer generation is completely liberated
from this inhuman Ajalu practice.
Dogu acquired an acre of land in Brahmavar village in the district of Udupi through
the support of SGA.

I was a landless Koraga, but I had big dreams of cultivating my own land. However,
I was tilling somebody else’s land to earn a living. But now I don’t depend on
anyone, not even my sons! I am self-sufficient all because of the trees I have
planted on my land, they are everything to me.

In 2003, the Federation of Koraga Development Associations’ movement for land

rights led to the allocation of land in Udupi district. I was allotted land and
could claim my right to land.

It was a dream come true of becoming a landowner!

It took me nearly a year of hard physical work to make the piece of land, overrun
by brambles and weed, ready for cultivation.

The first plantation, I remember, was the natural exotic fragrance of jasmine! It
was given to me by the Federation. As days went by, my yield increased, and my
income too increased from the jasmine sales. I believed in hard work and
determination, I started planting more trees in my one acre of land. You will be
surprised to know that I now have 30 coconut trees, 30 banana plants, 30 trees of
areca nut and over 50 jasmine shrubs. In between the trees and shrubs are the sweet
potatoes, brinjal, beans and bitter gourd. I prepare manure and water every plant
from the well.

Even though I am illiterate, my hard work and determination has led me to great
success. I wish my fellow community members too would become economically
independent by cultivating their land. I suggest that it is better to work on our
own land than work as a head loader for a daily-wage labourer, as this way we are
our own masters.

The farm has given me so much. I may not have any savings, but importantly, I do
not have any debts. My life has no dearth of dignity!

Shakunthala is 52 years old and is now the President of the SGA.

SGA’s support has been significant! My two sons are placed very well in their life.
My elder son Sandeep did his master’s in physics and is working as a Research
Assistant at Manipal Institute of Technology, one of the prestigious institutions
in Manipal Udupi district. My other boy Sathish has completed his master’s degree
in Technology (MTech) and is working as a Software Engineer. My husband is self-
employed. Ours is a successful happy family!

Before, my husband was a daily wage labourer and an alcoholic. The fear of
extinction of our community bothered me. I still remember those old days when I
worked as a sweeper in a hospital to eke out a living. I witnessed many deaths of
young children due to lack of food and deaths of pregnant women and lactating
mothers due to lack of nutrition. Our life was filled with misery. I used to
collect leftover food from people’s houses to feed my family. Any excess was kept
drying for the next day’s consumption. This continued until I was 37.

SGA coming to our village was a turning point. They spent days and nights to make
us realise the historical oppression and injustices that we were facing.

They made us aware of our rights as humans.

They strongly insisted that the only transformative tool is `Education’ to liberate
ourselves from untouchability, discrimination and underdevelopment.

SGA’s work for our community was an inspiration for me. I ensured my two sons were
enrolled in the school. I took an active part in all their development work. I took
lead of the land and human development struggles. I grew under their guidance. Now,
as President of the SGA, I have the responsibility of visioning for a better
tomorrow for our next generation. Not only my family is out of the painful memories
of our past, but the whole community is marching forward and rewriting history.
Today no-one dares to exploit, discriminate and look down on us as the Koraga
Community.

Project contact details

ActionAid Association

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