Once a nomadic tribe that survived on tubers found in forest areas and rats and rodents in agricultural fields, they now have changed their ways for better. Once a shy lot who kept to themselves are now a part of the society.
They have a roof over their head and a permanent place to live, all thanks to former Assembly Speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary, in whose constituency the nomadic Chenchu families used to reside, who decided to rehabilitate and relocate them.
He convinced them to begin living in villages, as a result of which a new Chenchu colony is coming up at Ravinagar village and they are the proud owners of pucca houses now.
Gainful employment
There are hundreds of Chenchu families in the constituency who used to go from place to place hunting for food. They were never into any gainful employment till Mr. Chary held repeated meetings with Chenchu youth, after which they have started working as agricultural labourers and construction workers. Speaking to The Hindu, Bandi Ramesh, 22, a Chenchu at the new colony, said he and his family has been at Ravinagar for the past three years. “Houses are being constructed for us and we are sending our children to school,” he said. At present, there are 18 school-going children at the village.
Bapatla Pushpa, another Chenchu woman, said a group of their community was taken to Warangal and Hyderabad by Mr. Chary. “He wants us to see the world outside and we are really thrilled to go to different places. We had never seen Warangal in our lives before,” she said, with a tinge of excitement.
Mr. Chary told The Hindu that as many as 460 Chenchu families were sanctioned double bedroom houses that were at various stages of construction. “It’s appalling to see these people living a primitive life even today. There are 10 such communities here. Once Chenchus get empowered, I will focus on others,” he said.