No end in sight to misery of six Cholanaikar families sharing leaking roof in Wayanad

Ambalavayal: From a six-month-old infant to a 60-year-old woman, thirty people share a cramped life under a single shed. Beneath a leaking roof, they sleep, cook and live on a floor of bare soil.

For years, six families of the Cholanaikar tribe have endured this miserable existence, while authorities have largely turned a blind eye to their plight. With no proper pathway to walk on, basic necessities, including secure housing, remain only promises. When it rains, all the families, including children and elders, lie together on damp soil under the failing roof.

Inside the shed, the families have arranged separate hearths in different corners where they cook food. Their living spaces are separated by screens made of crushed bamboo. The number of inhabitants increases during school vacations, when children who stay in hostels return home.

These six families were relocated to Kadassery on the forest fringes under a scheme to rehabilitate the Cholanaikar community, who traditionally live deep inside forests. Temporary accommodation was constructed on privately owned land for them. Although houses and other facilities were promised, none have materialised. Left with no alternative, the families began living together under one roof. Several years later, the rehabilitation project has made no progress.

When it comes to arranging basic facilities, authorities repeat the same refrain that these families are not interested in being shifted elsewhere. Their immediate need is safe homes and support to ensure the security of their children.

The sights that leak
These six families are related to one another. The youngest is six months old, while over fifteen children between the ages of 2.5 years and 18 years live here. Madhavi, aged over 60, is the eldest. While there are a few wooden cots, most lie directly on the soil, sharing the floor with pets and dogs.

The shed has entrances on all sides but no doors, and there is no separate kitchen. Food is cooked in the same space where people sleep. With rains intensifying, the shed is beginning to leak more severely. Still, the families cook whatever rice and supplies they can procure.

Access to this location is difficult, requiring a steep climb through a narrow path. Although the families earn a living by working as casual labourers, the continuous rains have left them without work.

“We have not received anything significant since coming here from Parappanpara. The only thing we get is rice. Officials visit us often but remain silent on everything, including housing. We lived more comfortably in the forest,” said Madhavi, the eldest member of the community.