Thursday, June 15 2006 10:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Voddugudem(Warangal District): At a time when the globalisation seemed knocking every ones' doors and Andhra Pradesh projected itself as the state attaining progress, Tribal terrain connecting the Eturnagaram agency belt still lags behind many rural parts that enjoy basic amenities.

Adivasis remain primitive in practice and the non-tribal communities take their innocence for their advantages. A recent visit of media persons several facts in the terrain connecting Tadwai, Eturnagaram, Pasra and Gundala mandals of Warangal and Khammam districts.

Civilisation and the advancement of its various forms have touched every nook and corner of the society, but the dwellings and the routine of the adivasis remained the same for the last few decades. They are keen on protecting their indigenous values and customs, but the new generations are failing to attract towards the new trends in the farm practices and education systems adopted by the non adivasi sections.

There are no roads and of course there is no power supply in several habitations surrounding the Voddugudem and Errodduvaagu premises in the Pasra mandal.

The same situation is visible even in the Tadwai mandal and there too the roads connecting the forest villages are basically 'Bandla Baatalu(Bullock cart ways)'and Pilla Baatalu.

Strangers seldom visit this part and if a two-wheeler rider enters this forest terrain he would face hardships with mud filled shortways.

Even a short distance of ten kilometers requires a journey of three to four hours on the two-wheeler and the dwellings connecting this route stares at you with strange looks. The BT road facility from the Tadwai crossroads of Eturnagaram agency ends near Gangaram and from there the adivasi culture commences.

Though there is a large extent of podu cultivation in the forest belt, the adivasis take minimum risk to earn their livelihood. Jaggani Posha Rao of Veerapur hamlet says that they never knew the 'Iruvaalu'(two times ploughing process) in their cultivate lands.

"We require the break-fast gudumba early in the morning and the shikaar non veg varieties by the evening. For this we need not take much risk" he comments.

The schools in adivasi hamlets are like leisure points for the new generations, while the businessmen use their outlets as the finance units for the adivasis.

"We try to produce the sufficient yields through our farm lands. If we fail we would borrow some money from the seths and they would accept the money in the form of grain " said Posha Rao.

The primitive nature in a modern society in the forest areas like Eturnagaram is emphasising the need of a required concentration on the development front and the present situation is focussing that aspect in the wake of Voddugudem incident.