An ember of resistance among the Eravas

Shailendra Kumar advocates for the rights of indigenous communities and empowers them to persist in their fight

Years have passed since Shailendra Kumar started his battle against discrimination and displacement. Today, these struggles have sculpted him into a community leader, a role he shoulders with pride, as he introduces each community member by name in  Maladahadi, a tribal hamlet nestled at the edge of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.  A few minutes into the conversation, the embers of resistance spark in his eyes as he recalls his childhood and youth spent in struggle.

Currently the president of N Begur gram panchayat, Shailendra’s work mainly focuses on identifying the hamlets and villages that lack basic amenities. He is also a troubleshooter for issues that arise daily– from land rights-related  problems to inter-community marriages.

Read more about other Changemakers

Over the last 10 years, Shailendra has successfully started and participated in protests and movements seeking basic amenities for the Erava community, an indigenous tribe in HD Kote taluk in Mysuru district. “I grew up listening to the stories of being driven out from one place to another by the government. My grandfather was displaced from the Bandipur forests along with others in 1972, when the Kabini dam was under construction. I saw my parents struggle. After finishing Class 10, I began to work as a farm labourer in Kodagu and other districts,” he says.

When exploitation in farms became unbearable, he managed to get a contract job as a cook in the forest department. Here, the delay in payment of the honorarium frustrated him. “I decided to continue my studies. I completed pre-university (PUC) in correspondence, joined Development through Education (an NGO) and started teaching children in the hamlets of the Jenu Kurubas.”  

Around this time, Shailendra was involved in the making of a documentary on the Erava community, an experience which helped him gain a clearer understanding of the tribal experience and identity. The research that went into making the feature showed systemic problems that led to the denial of basic rights. “My elder sister, Pushpalata, joined the Tribal Farmers Association, an NGO, and worked with people in different hamlets and villages. The stories she shared about the problems in the hamlets and the continued harassment from government officials pushed me to fight for the life and livelihood of the communities in our taluk,” he explains.

Bringing together

Shailendra’s involvement in protests and struggles brought him in touch with tribal communities spread across Karnataka. He played an instrumental role in bringing together Asalas, Gondas, Eravas, Male kudiyas, Goudlus, Jenu Kurubas, Betta Kurubas, Soligas, Korgas and Siddhis spread across the Western Ghats, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar. This led to the formation of Karnataka Aranya Moola Budakattu Samudayagala Okkoota, a united forum of tribal leaders from across the state. 

Credit: DH Photo

“In 2013-14, hundreds of us from the Okkoota marched from Kuppalli in Shivamogga district to Ramanagara, demanding basic rights. The government was forced to announce welfare schemes, from the distribution of nutritional food to unemployment benefits. The experience encouraged us to delve deeper into the problems faced by indigenous people,” he says.  

Ashok Kumar Shetty, who works with tribal communities in the state, says Shailendra’s focus on education is crucial given the 12,000 children studying in the tribal schools managed by the Social Welfare Department. “A department which has no expertise and experience in handling education is running schools. Shailendra led the Okkoota to Bengaluru where the chief minister himself has promised that the Education Department will take over the schools. We are now fighting with the government to keep its promise,” he says.

Shetty says it was this quality of looking beyond the immediate problems that has made Shailendra a formidable leader. “That he is fighting for the rights of all the tribes in the state makes his work significant in taking the struggle forward,” he says. 

The positive developments also pushed him to take a fresh look at his village, where tribal hamlets had been unable to get any of the amenities assured by the law, the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Around this time, the government was indicted by the high court for not implementing the FRA. A committee headed by Professor Muzaffar Assadi was set up to look into the issue.

“The Assadi report recommended rehabilitation for 3,145 families and the high court in 2014 told the government to implement it. But to date, not much has been done. Now, we are in the process of filing a contempt petition on behalf of 624 families,” Shailendra  says.

About 50% of the tribals displaced by the creation of protected forest areas in the region are from H D Kote taluk. In many hamlets, tribals have resisted further displacement and demanded the government allow them to live in the forest as per the FRA. Shailendra has led the Jenu Kurubas of Maladahadi, where he worked as a volunteer teacher, to protest against attempts at displacement and to demand amenities.  

Credit: DH Photo

Somesh, a 32-year-old member of the hamlet, says Shailendra’s leadership has helped in bringing pucca houses to 92 families who decided not to leave the protected area. “We cannot leave the haadi (hamlet). We consider the forest sacred and worship it. My grandfather is buried here. Shailendra helped us get houses and a decent road,” he says. 

But Somesh also points out that the fight is still ongoing. “Even today, the government has withheld electricity connection to our hamlet though it is our basic right. The gram panchayat says they are ready to do it but the forest department is not giving a no-objection certificate,” he said.

Such disappointments abound in hamlets sprinkled across the edges of Nagarahole and Bandipur tiger reserves. Shailendra says the tribals are far away from getting the facilities they deserve. “We are focusing on improving education now so that more educated youths from the community can give voice to the struggles. There are 116 residential schools for tribals but children studying there hardly manage to complete their education. We have a high dropout rate even in primary schools. The government has recently tweaked the system to encourage them to study but the very model needs to change to address the challenges,” he said. This work is cut out for Shailendra, and his persistence is evident.