Latest news with #Muthuvans
New Indian Express
10-08-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Muthuva Sanghamam marks largest gathering since revival of tribal collective
IDUKKI: For decades, the Muthuvan tribal community, spread across the forested high ranges of Idukki, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Palakkad, and the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border, had the will to demand their rights but allegedly lacked a collective voice. That changed in 2024 with the revival of the Muthuvan Adivasi Samudaya Sangham, an organisation now uniting hundreds of settlements under one banner to protect their culture, secure their rights, and push for development. The impact of that revival was on full display at Muthuva Sanghamam 2025, a three-day gathering at Chembakathozhukudi in Chinnakkanal that concluded on Sunday. Around 3,000 Muthuvans from nearly 140 settlements came together in what leaders call the biggest event since the Sangham's rebirth, timed to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. 'This event shows what unity can achieve,' said C. Rajendran, district panchayat member and state committee member of the Sangham. 'Our aim is to make our people aware of their rights and uphold our traditions. We have been treated as mere vote banks for too long. That will change,' he said.
New Indian Express
01-08-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Muthuvan Krishnan, enduring face of Kerala's conservation story, dies at 95
IDUKKI: Long before Munnar became synonymous with tea, two Muthuvan tribesmen — Kanan and Devan — guided British planters through the hills, lending their names to the Kanan Devan range. Nearly a century later, another Muthuvan by the name Krishnan played a pivotal role in shaping the legacy of the region — by protecting its forests. Fondly called Krishnan Thatha, he was a trusted guide for forest officials, leading them through dense forests to remote tribal hamlets inside what is now Eravikulam National Park. On Thursday morning, Krishnan died of age-related illness. He was 95. Krishnan's deep knowledge of the terrain proved invaluable during the Eravikulam park's establishment in 1978, making him a quiet yet enduring face of Kerala's conservation story. Back in the 1970s, when poaching and sandalwood smuggling plagued the Eravikulam and Marayur forest ranges, Krishnan became the forest department's most reliable ally. Runners used the treacherous Eravikulam-Edamalakkudy route to move sandalwood to areas such as Mankulam and Anakkulam, but Krishnan would tip off officials and even help track down culprits hiding in forest caves 'Whenever Krishnan received alerts, he would immediately inform the department and help capture smugglers. He knew every inch of the terrain, including the caves that poachers used to escape,' recalled a forest official. Krishnan's connection to the wild was rooted in commitment. A strong believer in conservation, he worked tirelessly to protect the fragile ecology of Eravikulam, including the rare Neelakurinji, which blooms once every 12 years. Not only did he guard the bloom from disturbances, but he also educated fellow Muthuvans on the importance of preserving the endemic shrub species.
