November 2008, Sarlapalli Village, Nallamalla Forest.

Ever since the Chenchus have been forbidden to hunt animals in the forests they live in they have had to subsist on the wild roots, tubers and seeds (above photo) they gather in the forest as well as the occasional rice and pulses doled out by the government. This lack of access to a ready protein source is one of the causes for the greater incidence of skin and other malnutrition diseases among the tribals. 

(To read this photo essay in sequence from the beginning please go here.)

Novermber 2008, Sarlapalli Village, Nallamalla Forest.

Narayana, the man in the photo is 35 years old but looks 40. He has stayed back at home as he is sick. He feels too sick to go to the nearest government health center (which is two villages away, a considerable distance) and even if he goes there he knows he will not be treated well.

Many of the Chenchus we talked to complained that when they approached the government health center they were not treated well by the staff there. The doctors/staff there would not even touch them apparently! They would only ask what their problem was and upon the Chenchu describing his/her problem they would give them some common pills against fever etc. According to our doctor-producer most of the diseases that plague the Chenchus (like scabies, polio) are easily curable as treatments/medicines for them are widely available. If the government can improve the conditions at the health care center and make them more accessible for the tribals most of their health problems would be solved according to him.

(To read this photo essay in sequence from the beginning please go here.) 

November 2008, Sarlapalli Village, Nallamalla Forest.

Among one of the biggest problems faced by the Chenchus who are in constant contact with civilization is health related. The children (as can be seen from the pale, scabbed hands of the baby in the hammock) are commonly prone to various skin diseases. Many of them never live to see adulthood. And even those who live to be adults are frequently prone to diseases that have been eradicated from urban India. There are many reasons for this. One reason is they have no natural resistance to many of the diseases that are common in a civilized world as until recently they have lived in isolation for generations in forests. Second reason is inadequate health care provided by the government. A third reason is improper hygiene among the tribals when living in a civilized setting. Another important reason for their ill health, especially among their children, is food related which I’ll talk about in relation to a later photo.

(To read this photo essay in sequence from the beginning please go here.)

November 2008, Sarlapalli Village, Nallamalla Forest.

The Chenchus are a group of adivasis (literally original inhabitants) who live in the central hill regions of Andhra Pradesh. Most of their population lives within the protected Nallamalla Forest in Mahbubnagar district. They follow a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. A steadily increasing exposure to civilization has brought a host of problems for them. The land on which they have been living for generations has been declared as a protected tiger reserve by the government. Therefore, there are moves to displace them completely from the forest area and resettle them elsewhere. The Chenchus are shy, wary of strangers and government efforts to introduce them to agriculture. They want to be left alone by civilization and allowed to live as they have been living for generations. But due to the steady disappearance of their traditional lifestyle under pressure from civilization the Chenchus are slowly dying out like the tiger which the government is trying to protect by displacing the Chenchus. Over the next few days I’ll try to highlight some of the many problems faced by the Chenchus in their struggle to survive.

(To read this photo essay in sequence from the beginning please go here.) 

These photos were shot during a preliminary shoot for a documentary film on the displacement issue of the Chenchus that I’m working on with a filmmaker. We visited 3 villages on that day along with our producer (who is also a doctor) that have been exposed most to civilization and thereby face the most problems. There are many more Chenchu hamlets deep in the jungle that can only be reached after a hard trek. We limited ourselves to 3 villages for the preliminary shoot as they were most accessible.

Something from the archives.

May 2008, Cologne (Fuji Sensia 100).

May 2008, Strasbourg (Fuji Sensia 100).

May 2008, Strasbourg (Fuji Sensia 100).

April 2008, Cologne (Fuji Sensia 100).

This was quite literally an off the cuff shot. I just placed the camera on a thick book I was holding, turned it to the direction I wanted, focussed to infinity, guessed half the exposure and shot off three frames. I had no way of knowing what/if I’d get/anything. Luckily, two of those frames came out decent. This is one of them. After a long time I am happy with something I shot.

April 2007, Lucerne. (Fuji Velvia 100)