THE MESS THAT IS GUDALUR
Gudalur used to be known as Nilgiri Wynad in the earlier times. It is situated on the southern extremity of the Mysore Plateau and separated from the Sigur plateau by the Moyar River, bound by the Nilgiri massif in the south east and slopes down steeply to Nilambur towards the south and the west.
The entire social history of the zone is mired in controversy and much confusion. In the earlier times, the area was controlled by chieftains of the Kottayam family of the Malabar Plains and was the home to many tribal communities. When the British arrived, they took over a large part of the land while the rest were controlled by the Janmi families. However, even with the British coming in, the whole area was considered to be Janmi property and owned mostly by the Nilambur Tirumalapad. However, the lure of excellent quality teak lured the British to lease 18,837 hectare from the Tirumalapad and heavily exploited the forests to the extent of massive replacement of the original forest by mono cultures of teak.
With the dawn of independence and new methods to eradicate malaria, came a wave of settlers which broke the equilibrium of the local people. With Keralites, Mappilas and the Sri Lankan migrants pouring in, rose a situation of social tension. Land was easily available and still major areas were under the Nilambur Kovilakkam Janmi who was already worried that his lands would be taken over by the government. The government under an act in 1969 attempted to abolish the rights of Janmis in Gudalur area. However, all this took a dirty turn when the implementation of the act got enmeshed in legal battles between the state, estates and the Janmis. In the same time, immigration was continuing on a large scale.
All this marginalized the tribal communities and restricted their source to their traditional resources. The biggest problem for them was that on the contrary to arrangements that the companies and plantations had, the tribals had usually exercised their customary rights of hunting-gathering. While the Janmis recognized their rights, they did not have a legal relationship. But with modernization, the rights of the tribals were often not recognized and their modes to livelihood severely trampled. Large areas of tribals were alienated. They were driven into steep slopes, forested valleys and marginal lands unsuitable for agriculture.
They have been almost completely swamped by the tide of the modern times.
Therefore Gudalur has been considerably affected by changes taking placed in the last two centuries. Introduction of plantation crops and undue exploitation of forests have resulted in massive degradation of natural resources. The sequential process of modification of ecosystems caused by the greed of people has led to drastic degradations of the natural vegetation.
Large scale migration has forever upset the social equilibrium and the ecosystems people have been marginalized to serve the commercial interests of innumerable plantations. Large numbers of the tribals are now working as wage labour and go to places as far as Palakkad and Coorg, besides finding employment in Gudalur itself.
The situation is so mired in controversy that it is the unwritten law to keep shut around here and let things drift as they are, at a slow and leisurely pace and on the other hand, a mass catastrophe underway due to the rapidly increasing anthropogenic pressure on the leftover forests.
The entire social history of the zone is mired in controversy and much confusion. In the earlier times, the area was controlled by chieftains of the Kottayam family of the Malabar Plains and was the home to many tribal communities. When the British arrived, they took over a large part of the land while the rest were controlled by the Janmi families. However, even with the British coming in, the whole area was considered to be Janmi property and owned mostly by the Nilambur Tirumalapad. However, the lure of excellent quality teak lured the British to lease 18,837 hectare from the Tirumalapad and heavily exploited the forests to the extent of massive replacement of the original forest by mono cultures of teak.
With the dawn of independence and new methods to eradicate malaria, came a wave of settlers which broke the equilibrium of the local people. With Keralites, Mappilas and the Sri Lankan migrants pouring in, rose a situation of social tension. Land was easily available and still major areas were under the Nilambur Kovilakkam Janmi who was already worried that his lands would be taken over by the government. The government under an act in 1969 attempted to abolish the rights of Janmis in Gudalur area. However, all this took a dirty turn when the implementation of the act got enmeshed in legal battles between the state, estates and the Janmis. In the same time, immigration was continuing on a large scale.
All this marginalized the tribal communities and restricted their source to their traditional resources. The biggest problem for them was that on the contrary to arrangements that the companies and plantations had, the tribals had usually exercised their customary rights of hunting-gathering. While the Janmis recognized their rights, they did not have a legal relationship. But with modernization, the rights of the tribals were often not recognized and their modes to livelihood severely trampled. Large areas of tribals were alienated. They were driven into steep slopes, forested valleys and marginal lands unsuitable for agriculture.
They have been almost completely swamped by the tide of the modern times.
Therefore Gudalur has been considerably affected by changes taking placed in the last two centuries. Introduction of plantation crops and undue exploitation of forests have resulted in massive degradation of natural resources. The sequential process of modification of ecosystems caused by the greed of people has led to drastic degradations of the natural vegetation.
Large scale migration has forever upset the social equilibrium and the ecosystems people have been marginalized to serve the commercial interests of innumerable plantations. Large numbers of the tribals are now working as wage labour and go to places as far as Palakkad and Coorg, besides finding employment in Gudalur itself.
The situation is so mired in controversy that it is the unwritten law to keep shut around here and let things drift as they are, at a slow and leisurely pace and on the other hand, a mass catastrophe underway due to the rapidly increasing anthropogenic pressure on the leftover forests.
