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In his 2007 booklet titled “Socio-Economic Appraisal of the Paniyans and

Kurumbas – of Nilgiri District, Tamil Nadu,” Dr. Jakka Parthasarathy cites

older literature describing specific aspects of the Paniyas (or Paniyans), as

follows:

- “The Paniyans were described as a slave tribe of South India. Often the

Paniyan life was related between 'hunger and work'. Even some scholars

started asking stunning questions about 'how Paniyans live with no capital

except muscle power and free thinking.' Some planners and administrators

even raised their eyebrows by pointing out, 'Do the Paniyans really have

any economics when they do not think of tomorrow?' In early days, the

Paniyans responded directly only to the drive of hunger. The Planners

failed to plan for the development of the Paniyans because “Planning for

Paniyan welfare was limited to only 24 hours.”

- “The Nilgiri District administration has taken serious interest and legally

the government released many bonded Paniyan labourers under the

Bonded Labour system Abolition Act 1976 and rehabilitated them in the

Government run farms.”

Well, already 10 year earlier, in 1966, Dr. Narasimhan was sought out to

treat a sick Paniyan of these usually very shy peoples on the western

slopes of the Nilgiris.

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On seeing their general plight, Dr. Narasimhan managed to arrange for a

100-acre government waste land to be outfitted by the government with five

row-houses of five units of two rooms each. Then he arranged to have 25

families of the former bonded-servant Paniyas moved into those houses.

Then, being a medical doctor and located in Kotagiri, almost 200 km up the

windy Nilgiri Hill roads, he realized the need for a Farm Manager. On

contact with CUSO (Canadian University Service Overseas), this is where I

came in, joining them as a CUSO-Volunteer, and first Farm Manager, in

September 1966. I stayed there for approximately 10 months and recorded

my experiences and observations from my letters 'home' in my self-

published book “My Life Among the Paniyas of the Nilgiri Hills” (2007).

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Since leaving for the first time mid-1967, I have visited seven times, either

alone, with my wife, and all three of our children at one time or another, in

the intervening decades. This 2017 visit I was accompanied by our India-

born (Poona, Maharashtra State) son, Martin, who had once before made

this journey with me, in 1986, when he was a sixteen-year old teenager.

NAWA is Nilgiris Adivasi [indigenous peoples] Welfare Association, a

society and charitable organization founded in 1958 to assist Dr.

Narasimhan in soliciting funds to carry out his tribal, at that time, mainly

medical welfare work, which has expanded considerably into education,

medical research, and general development, over the decades.

At the end of April to early May, Martin and I were able to join in the

celebrations surrounding the 100th birth anniversary of the 1978-deceased

Dr. S. Narasimhan:

First we joined the celebrations in Kotagiri, the NAWA headquarters, April

28 to 30:

At upper right: having shared my 1966-67

memories of Dr. Narasimhan, I was able to present his daughter, Dr.

Rajalakshmi, the current President of NAWA with a copy of my book.

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Then we joined the celebrations at the Paniya Farm on May 3, 2017:

While in the mid-1960's none of these Paniyas being settled by the Nilgiris

Adivasi Welfare Association (NAWA), under the inspiring leadership of Dr.

S. Narasimhan, could read or write; now, essentially two generations later,

attending school is a normal part of a Paniya child's life there. Back in

1966, an old Paniyan, Kaima, asked Dr. Narasimhan and me if we could

arrange for his younger son, Velikan to learn to read and write.

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I took up Kaima's challenge and found a school willing to accept them.

Then I arranged for proper clothing and breakfast meals. Initially I also

accompanied these 21 children, whose official guardian I had become, to

school daily.

Some of the children attained four to five years of schooling, a few of the

boys up to eight and one boy graduated from high school.

At least most could read a bit and had basic numeracy, so important as the

Paniyans’ life evolves from complete dependence on small-holder local

farmers, for whom the Paniyas had traditionally worked, to increasing

independence, under the benevolent guidance of NAWA. By now, two

generations on, going to school is part of a Paniya child’s regular life!

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By the end of April 1967 the school year was over, and a month's vacation

followed. From my book (page 124), “After each test, the children came to

show me their slates on which their marks had been written. I saw some 0's

and 1's out of 50! But most did get more. Kaima's youngest son, Velikan, …

got tops in arithmetic.”

With school uniforms came sewing on of buttons and mending, as I

described on 6 Dec. 1966 in my book (page 49): “Lately both Anthony (my

helper, cook, laundryman, shopper, etc.) and I have done quite a bit of

sewing on of buttons and mending of torn school clothing. I let some of the

children thread the needle, boys and girls alike. They do it without any

trouble, even the little ones! Then I let Narayini, the oldest of the school

girls, sew on two buttons. She had watched me do it several times. She did

it entirely by herself, aside from an occasional stitch she needed my help

with. I think I was at least as thrilled as she was!”

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The personal warmth displayed by most of the original Paniya school

children, ensuring, as much as possible, that I meet most of their relatives,

including children and grandchildren, has been very touching! A bond that

reaches back half a century! During my late April early May 2017 visit, I

met nine of the original 21. Half a century later!

Martin eating off banana leaf 'plate'

2017

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Narayini (right) and family members Ammini (right), with Henning, Lakshmi (sister of

Narayini and Ammini ) and her son

Ammini and family host us visitors from NAWA, Canada and UK

A substantial number of those 21 "children" (now in their late 50's to early

60's ) still or again live at the Paniya farm, attaining major parts of their

livelihood from the cooperatively farmed tea. Numerous side-enterprises

have sprung up, such as rearing of cows, goats, chickens and home-

garden vegetables and fruits funded largely from personal SAVINGS.

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On 5 January 1967 I wrote (page 71 of my book): “ … what urban child can

go along the road and woods and tell you which plants there are edible and

which are deadly poisonous, as even tiny tots among the Paniyas can!

Indeed, recently after the school children were at school, several of the tiny

tots walked along with me and offered me some leaves and berries to taste,

from local shrubs. I looked at these and slowly raised them to my mouth.

The one little duffer (Velithe C.) slapped my hand down and told me

emphatically, 'Moriche poy! Moriche poy!', indicating that I would die if I ate

these! And then everyone, including me, laughed heartily!” The bloated

stomachs associated with parasites in the littlest ones in 1966 (photo),

were cured thanks to Dr. Narasimhan's medical interventions (1968 photo).

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Velithe has become the main 'elder' and part-time priest of this Paniya

community by now.

Each home has at least one electric outlet for a light bulb (none in the

1960's) and one for a government-donated TV set. A Paniya community

has been built! Some of the original homes have been replaced.

Wooden stools made by Velithe

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Martin's comments, at the Paniya Festival on 3 May 2017, that the Paniya

children were his father's first family, and he is the eldest of his father's

second family, went over very well!

Additional houses have been built, now totaling 100 (vs. originally 25). Old

houses have been built on to here and there: e.g. covered verandahs or

vented kitchens, not available in the original concrete houses. Now, each of

the row-houses has its own toilet block. After 50 years, many of the houses

are in dire need of repairs: NAWA is working with the relevant government

agencies to address this. All newer homes have chimneys to remove

smoke from the cooking areas, which was not the case in 1966.

About seven years ago, a small 10-bed hospital with major Outpatient

medical support, was built and outfitted from fundraising I initiated using my

book as stimulus among relatives and friends was majorly supported by our

Rotary Club of Lethbridge East together with seven additional Alberta

Rotary Clubs. Then our Rotary Club received a matching grant after

partnering with a Rotary Club in India (RC Coimbatore -Manchester) to

outfit the hospital. Furthermore solar hot-water heaters were provided by

the Australian Rotary Club of Whyalla, to supply hot water for the hospital.

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Mid July 1967, I wrote in a letter "home" to Bev, my fiancée, since 1968 my

wife of almost 49 years (page 140 of my book) about the "melancholy of

leaving here (i.e. Paniyas in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India) soon, I know

that I will look back upon these last months most fondly."

On May 4, 2017, essentially half a century later, as I left the Paniya farm on

which I had worked as its first Farm Manager as a CUSO volunteer , for the

last time, I must admit again feeling a certain melancholy but also inner joy

and hope for these Paniyas.

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Even with the little glimpses I was able to receive on each of my seven

return visits, left me feeling that most of these Paniyas face their future with

hope and even gusto!

And the former bullock-cart rutted "Silver Jubilee Road " now has a

pothole-free asphalt surface.

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