The lynching of an Adivasi youth, Madhu, in Kerala, defies parallel in terms of its savagery and crudity (Editorial page, “The Adivasi in the mirror”, March 3). In Kerala, the Adivasis are not treated as human beings but as a lesser species. They would have been self-reliant by now had the thousands of crores spent on their uplift since Independence been distributed to them directly. The discourse around Adivasis needs a sea change especially from the one about holding out alms to them.
Ayyasseri Raveendranath,
Aranmula, Kerala