Hooraja and Chandasi, the Hakki-Pikki couple who visited Delhi as guests of the Union government to take part in the Republic Day programme, have succeeded in conveying their problems, including lack of burial ground in their village, to Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda.
The couple, residents of Angadihalli in Belur taluk, returned to their village on Monday after attending the programme and taking part in interactions with the Prime Minister and the President, among others.
Mr. Hooraja, on Tuesday, said that he along with other tribal people from different States met the Prime Minister on January 24. “I submitted a memorandum of our demands to Mr. Munda. The Prime Minister also took note of our demands and assured to look into them,” he said.
When he highlighted the fact that his people did not have a burial ground at Angadihalli, Mr. Munda was surprised.
“He wondered why the State government had not responded to the demand so far. The Minister assured me that the Ministry would make suitable recommendations to the State government. He also asked me to keep in touch with the department,” he said.
For years, the tribal community in the village has been demanding suitable land for a burial ground. Whenever someone dies in the community, they bury them in a vacant land or on the roadside, a practice normally opposed by other people. Mr. Hooraja has also demanded that the Centre resolve the difficulties that tribal communities face in continuing with their traditional occupations.
“We collect forest produces and prepare medicines for various ailments. But, the Forest Department has put many restrictions. We cannot freely collect plants we want and with that, it has been difficult for our livelihood. I have raised this issue during my interactions in Delhi,” he said.
The couple thanked the State government for choosing them to represent the tribals of the State at the Republic Day programme.