Day 6 - Wednesday 15th Nov

Submitted by Laura Lawson on November 22, 2006 - 05:16.

The morning was dedicated to a talk by Stan to prepare us for Gudalur. Stan is a charismatic and passionate speaker and gave us all food for thought. He explained the background of the tribal communities, the Adivasi, how there are ‘scheduled’ tribes who are mentioned in the constitution as recognized tribals with certain rights as tribes. The tribes are spread throughout India, but concentrated in the north. They make up 8 % of the population – which may not seem much, but as India is so large it is about 60 million people. There are five distinct tribes in Tamil Nadu, each has its own language, traditions and occupations. ACCORD works with them all.

One thing that came through very strongly from this talk is that the main work of ACCORD over 30 years is political - using the traditional structures of the Adivasi to organise themselves to reclaim land, realize their rights, obtain education and health care, and work towards self reliance. Now the organisation is largely a piece of paper that works as the public face of the Adivasi but the real work is done through village level organisations called sangams, area centers and then a federation that represents all of the tribals in the region. The Adivasi truly own this organisation and makes the decisions that concern them. They have a school, health workers, and a hospital. I could write pages on their approach and structure, but due to time I will move on. I highly recommend that anyone who has an interest in alternative ways of working and decision making to study them, Stan has moved away from ACCORD as the AMS (the Adivasi federation), is more than capable of handling the necessary work. His latest project is to use an analysis of how capitalism works and how it affects the poor, to propose, model and try out an alternative. This is how the organisation Just Change was formed to turn trade to the community’s advantage. It is a fascinating system, and I look forward to seeing how it works in practice, and the how they overcome the many challenges of working in a different paradigm to the norm.
After the talk we said our goodbyes to the Green Hotel, I know I will miss it and the lovely staff. I think I want to live there.

We went on a two hour journey to Gudalur and the Jungle Retreat Hotel, passing through a wildlife conservation area on the way. There most of us went on a safari, and we saw many deer, peacock, and monkeys. No elephants though. The roads gradually changed from tarmac to pothole, and lots of loops and bends as we climbed into the mountains. The towns we went through got smaller, and seemed to cater mainly to tourists. The countryside is beautiful, through the journey it got colder and colder and greener and greener.

We arrived at the Jungle Retreat in early evening. It was truly amazing in the most beautiful countryside, with trees and bushes. It was not like south American jungle, more a mixture of trees, scrub, and plants, all in lush deep green splashed with vivid flowers. The Jungle Retreat itself was an interesting place, with a mixture of hotel type rooms, tree houses and even bamboo huts! The bar and relaxing area was pretty good too, almost a beach hut style. That evening we had a wonderful relaxing time with drinks, food, and good company. We went to bed tired, but ready for the morning.

india