KOCHI: Here are a bunch of tribal children from Attappady giving wings to their words using poems, drawings, folklore and short stories in the hope that their collective plea to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will finally be heard and their critical issues addressed at the highest level. Dozens of tribal children used this unique mode of communication earlier this month and now are keenly awaiting a response from the Chief Minister. “From Attappady, many children are being taken for child labour. Some students are being forced to go for manual labour even after completing their studies. In Palur, a student called Makkulan joined a gang of drunkards, and was in turn killed by the gang,” says one of the letters by Karthik, a fourth standard student.“We want to communicate in our own language. But whenever we speak in tribal language, we get beaten up. We are being termed as forest-dwellers and thieves,” says another letter. Though the children were asked to write to the Chief Minister, some of the complaints are addressed to Tribal Welfare Minister P K Jayalakshmi, some others to Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob and some to Palakkad District Collector Asgar Ali Pasha.Consider the array of issues raised by the children: absence of nutritious food at anganwadis, child labour, closing down of single-teacher schools, discrimination in schools, reluctance by teachers to attend classes, quality of drinking water and lack of hygiene.A single issue that finds resonance in many letters is regarding single-teacher schools getting closed down in Attappady. The kids point a collective finger at 25 single-teacher schools which were once operational in the region, which have been closed down over a period of time.The plan to get the tribal children to write directly to the CM inviting his direct intervention evolved as a part of ‘Karthumpi’, a cultural meet organised by Thamp (Centre for Tribal Education, Development and Research) and Gothrabhoomi (a publication that highlights tribal issues)in the last week of April.“The attempt is to give children a medium of expression. Since many of them hail from remote villages and tribal hamlets, they preferred drawings and poems as the right way to express their innermost thoughts and concerns. We have forwarded their unique form of communique to the CM. We are hopeful that Chandy will listen to these children and initiate some tangible action soon,” said Rajendra Prasad, patron, Karthumpi.
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