Seventy-six-year-old Chinnan of Alampetty tribal settlement in Idukki district can now read and write, thanks to Aksharavelicham, a Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary project initiated by the Kerala Forest Department. Chinnan, who resides inside the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, never thought he would be one among the educated lot.
The project was started by the Idukki forest officials three months ago, with the aim to enable tribal inhabitants to read and write. The project was started on a trial basis in the Alampetty tribal settlement in the district.
Due to various factors, including the remoteness of the location and the daily struggles for survival in the forest, primary education was a lost hope for the tribal people. As part of the project, the officials will now help the tribals to learn and write, regardless of their age.
“Many members of the tribal community have told us that they could not read, write or even put their signatures on any documents. At the Eco Development Committee meetings, many, irrespective of the age, have expressed their willingness to learn and write. Beat forest officer Sureshkumar came up with the idea of Aksharavelicham project," said Prabhu PM, Assistant Wildlife Warden of CWS.
Eco Development Committee is formed by the forest department with the participation of local people, mostly tribals living within the protected areas or the wildlife ranges.
The classes are conducted in the evening hours after all settlers have finished their daily routine work. The tribals reach the classroom at 6 pm. An educated tribal community member, as well as teachers from government schools, initiate the learning process. Anil, who leads the free PSC (Public Service Commission) coaching in the tribal settlements, was in charge of the project at Alampetty.
Speaking to TNM, Chinnan said, “My dream to read books and newspapers has been fulfilled now. I struggled a lot to read the name boards of destinations on buses and also when signing documents. Now, I can easily read and write without any difficulty even at this age. I am reading books, newspapers and other publications.”
The Idukki forest officials plan to extend the project to all the 11 settlements inside the CWS.
The first phase of the project has been successfully completed. The second phase of the project started in Champakkad settlement three weeks ago. Three people have been deployed to lead the second phase of the project: Amal and Greeshma, teachers of the Government Lower Primary School at Champakad, and an educated tribal girl named Devi.
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) has 11 tribal settlements and a total of nearly 1,800 people living inside the sanctuary. The tribal settlements are Thayannankudy, Mulangamutty, Vellakkal, Puthukkudy, Eiruttalakkudy, Eechampetty, Alampetty, Palappetty, Champakkad, Mangappara and Ollavayal.
Earlier, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary had started a library named Bodhi inside the CWS to encourage reading among the tribals. This library, which is affiliated to Kerala Library Council, has a collection of 20,000 books, including Tamil books, catering to different age groups. In addition to this, the forest officials have opened the second Boshi library in the Champakkad settlement.